11 most valuable ODI cricketers of 2017

Middle-order Batsmen

#3 Virat Kohli (India) - C

We have chosen Virat Kohli as the Captain of this 2017 ODI XI. Under his captaincy, India has won 19 of their 23 ODIs this year. In 2017, No other captain has a better record than the RCB captain in this format of the game.

The Indian run machine has amassed a monstrous 1197 runs in the 23 innings he played this year. The rate at which he scored this 1197 runs is even more astonishing. The right-handed batsman has a batting average of 74.81 and a strike-rate of 98.68. He has four 100s and seven 50s to his name this year, and is currently the No.1 ODI batsman in the ICC Player Ranking.

#4 Joe Root (England)

Joe Root is the most consistent player in the world at the moment

Joe Root is the second highest run-scorer in 2017. He scored 983 runs with an average of 70.21 and a strike-rate of 92.12. The English Test captain is one of the few gifted cricketers who remain consistent across all the formats.

He has two 100s and seven 50s from his 19 games, and fourteen 35+ scores from 18 innings which is unique in the ODI format.

Post the 2015 World Cup debacle, the Three Lions have transformed into one of the best ODI teams. Joe Root is the linchpin of the English batting line-up that pivoted the English Transformation.

Honorable Mentions

1) Faf du Plessis (South Africa) - The South African Captain narrowly missed the middle order slot. He was in good form this year and scored 814 runs at an average of 58.14. The 33-year-old batsman has two 100s and five 50s against his name. His score of 185 against Srilanka remains the highest ODI score in 2017.

2) Babar Azam (Pakistan) - Babar Azam became the third Pakistani batsman to score three consecutive centuries in ODIs. He achieved this feat in October 2016. The 22-year-old batsman proved to the world that he isn't just a one-trick pony and continued his rich streak of form in 2017. This year, Azam has scored 569 runs at an average of 56.9 and has two 100s against his name.