5 best ODI batsmen in T20 Era

Ever since the first World Twenty20, in South Africa, became a grand success, the amount of 50-over cricket played has come under the scanner. Several leading voices have asked for unnecessary one-day games to be scrapped and more emphasis to be laid on the World Cup and the Champions Trophy.However, in the number of one-day games that were played in next 7 years since that event, there are a few players who have been outstanding in the 50-over format. Here’s a list of 5 players who have performed exceptionally in ODIs post the 2007 World Cup T20.

#1 MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni

Possibly the best finisher ever in the One Day International (ODI) format, the man from Ranchi has been an outstanding limited overs cricketer for India. He may not have the best technique to tackle the moving ball in Test cricket, but there is no denying that the Indian skipper is a legend in the 50-over format.

The 33 year-old averages close to 58 and has amassed 5767 runs at a strike-rate of 86 runs per 100 balls with 6 tons since 2007 and is consistently ranked among the top 5 ODI batsmen in the 50-over rankings. He even made the top spot his own for a while and has this great ability to take the game till the end and win it for his team.

His most memorable knock, and perhaps his best one-day innings of all-time, came during this period when he led India to a famous World cup win in front of a jam-packed Wankhede crowd, scoring a 79-ball 91 againt Sri Lanka in Mumbai.

#2 AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers

The man from Pretoria has had a superb last few years while playing for his country and, along with Hashim Amla, has gone on to become the batting mainstay in the South African line-up.

He has scored 5154 runs in the last 7 years at a staggering strike-rate of 97 with 16 centuries to his name and has added some extremely unorthodox shots to his batting armoury, too. The South African one-day captain has ruled the ICC rankings in the past 6-7 years for 50-over cricket, constantly featuring among the top 3 ODI batsmen, and he possesses the game to change the course of any innings in a very quick time with his belligerent batting. He is also an exceptional fielder.

However, the Proteas have just not been able to win the big ICC events despite having a balanced side and De Villiers’ own performance in the knock-out games of these events have not been the best; that is one area where the 30-year-old should look to improve upon to help his side win more trophies in the coming years.

#3 Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli

The Delhi batsman made his ODI debut in 2008 and had a scratchy start to his career. He wasn't a permanent fixture in the team initially, but impressive performances in the given opportunities meant that he could not be kept out of the team for a long time.

In the 139 50-over matches that he has played so far, the 25-year-old has scored 5690 runs at a strike rate of 89.59 with 19 hundreds and has already won numerous games for India. He jointly holds the record for the fastest to reach 5000 runs in limited-over matches with Sir Vivian Richards and also reached the 1000, 3000-and 4000-run mark quicker than any one else.

Like De Villiers, he, too, features among the top 3 batsmen in the ODI rankings on a regular basis; owing to some stellar performances between 2012 and 2014, the right-hander occupied the No. 1 spot for some time, as well.

Kohli registered his first World cup hundred, agains Bangladesh, in his very first World cup game in 2011 and also scored a crucial 38 in the final of that tournament to help India win the cup.

#4 Hashim Amla

Hashim Amla

The bearded South African, like Kohli, made his ODI debut in 2008. In the 95 ODIs that he has played since, he has scored 4621 runs at an excellent strike-rate of 89.26 with an astonishing century tally of 15, consistently giving his team good starts at the top even on difficult batting wickets.

Considered initially as someone who is not suited for the shorter versions of the game, the 31-year-old has certainly proved many of his critics wrong by scoring at a brisk pace in the shorter formats and does so by playing classical shots.

#5 Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara

The Sri Lankan No.3 is the highest run-getter in the last 7 years with 6978 runs at a strike-rate of 80.40 with 13 hundreds in the 50-over format. Consistency has been Sangakkara's forte for a large part of his career, and the left-hander has played some match-winning innings in the last few years to enhance his reputation. Again, like Amla, he is someone in the classical mould and always seems to maintain a decent pace throughout his innings.

However, he has been a part of a Sri Lankan team that has lost 4 finals in the ICC tournaments, 2 of them being 50-over finals and one in which he was the captain; he will look to win the World cup next year and the erase the past defeats from his memory.