3 batsmen with most ODI centuries in a losing cause

Despite being considered as a team sport, cricket often thrives on an individual’s ability to score runs or pick wickets. The stupendous batting performance in the recently concluded Ashes series by Steve Smith (774 runs) shows how an individual’s remarkable performance can help the team in clinching a series.

But there have been several instances where an individual has been the lone warrior and scored the bulk of the runs, with the rest of the team unable to cope with the pressure and eventually, losing.

Over the course of history, there have been many players who scored scintillating hundreds but still ended up on the losing side. Here are the top three batsmen with the most ODI hundreds in a losing cause.

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#3) Kumar Sangakkara, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – 7 ODI hundreds

Kumar Sangakkara

One the most consistent performers in modern-day cricket, Kumar Sangakkara had a stellar career in both ODIs and Tests. An elegant stroke-maker and an astute thinker, Sangakkara carried the Sri Lankan batting on his shoulders for more than a decade.

A fine exponent of playing spin, Sangakkara's calm demeanor and methodical batting caused nightmares to the opposition. He is one of the few cricketers to have scored more 10,000 runs in ODIs as well as Tests.

Sangakkara scored 25 centuries in 404 matches at an average 41.99, of which seven centuries came in a losing cause. However, he was instrumental in making Sri Lanka reach two World Cup finals.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Virat Kohli had smashed several batting records already. The undisputed monarch of ODI cricket has amassed 43 centuries in just 239 ODIs.

However, there have been seven instances where Kohli’s hundred has gone in vain. Three of those hundreds have come against Australia.

Rohit Sharma's ODI career, meanwhile, has been a tale of two halves. Through the first half of his career he batted in the middle order, and was unable to make too many big scores. But MS Dhoni’s decision to open with Rohit in 2013 worked wonders for the team.

Since then, Rohit has opened the batting for India and scored 25 hundreds in that position. Out of the first 10 hundreds that he scored, five came in a losing cause. Two more came in the next 17 centuries.

After slamming five centuries in the ICC 2019 World Cup, Rohit would look to continuing his purple patch with the bat.

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#2 Chris Gayle - 11 ODI hundreds

West Indies v England - 4th One Day International

A veteran of 300 ODIs, the ‘Universe Boss’ has enthralled the cricketing fraternity for close to two decades. Chris Gayle, with his audacious stroke-play, has time and again provided brisk starts to the team.

In losses, Gayle has scored 4754 runs with 14 centuries. His last two centuries against England this year ended with his team losing.

Ever since the decline of West Indies cricket began with the retirement of Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Gayle has been the lone bright spark for the team. Despite being busy throughout the year playing in various T20 leagues, Gayle is one of the few cricketers who is always ready to play for West Indies when he is picked.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar – 14 ODI hundreds

Sachin Tendulkar

It is not surprising that India’s Sachin Tendulkar finds a spot on this list. Someone who played for 24 years would inevitably have faced several losses in his career. Out of the 49 hundreds that Tendulkar scored, 14 came in a losing cause.

In the first half of his career, Tendulkar was the lone warrior of the team. It was only after the 2000s that the Indian team truly became a force to reckon with.

Some of the memorable ODI hundreds by Tendulkar in a losing cause include the age-defying 175 against Australia, the desert storm at Sharjah (143), the hundred against South Africa in the 2011 World Cup and his hundredth international century against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup.