5 greatest batsmen ever seen in ODI cricket

ODI cricket has thrown up several great batting superstars in over five decades. These men have redefined the way that game has been played; the numbers they have generated along with the sheer impact they have had on their eras and their teams sets them apart from the rest.

Here's a look at the five greatest batsmen that ODI cricket has ever seen:

5. Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara is the second highest run scorer in the history of the game, scoring an astonishing 14,234 runs. He was the backbone of the Sri Lankan side along with Mahela Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya, and regularly rescued the team with his astonishing brand of counter-attack.

Sangakkara also holds the record of scoring four consecutive hundreds in ODI cricket, which he achieved during the 2015 World Cup. His cover drive will be remembered as one of the most elegant shots in the game, on par with Sachin Tendulkar’s straight drive and Ricky Ponting’s pull shot.

4. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli

The numbers that Virat Kohli has generated are mind-boggling to say the least. He is the fastest to 10,000 runs in this format of the game, taking just 205 innings to reach the milestone. He is already second in the list of centuries scored in ODIs, with 38 hundreds to his name.

The batting superstar has also been redefining the meaning of consistency in the recent past, scoring 3,369 runs in his last 49 ODI matches. By the time Kohli retires, he will be the owner of most of the batting records; if this same list were to be written probably a decade later, Kohli’s name would figure much higher.

3. Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting

Easily the greatest Australian batsman to have played ODI cricket, Ponting set himself apart despite playing in a team filled with superstars.

He played several memorable innings throughout his career, with his best being the 140* he plundered against India in the 2003 World Cup final. He was a part of the batting lineup comprising Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, forming arguably the most formidable top 3 ever seen.

When Ponting bid adieu to ODI cricket in 2012, he retired as the second highest run-getter and century-maker - behind only Sachin Tendulkar. Ponting is also easily the greatest captain in the history of ODI cricket, having led his side to two World Cup wins in 2003 and 2007.

2. Sir Vivian Richards

Sir Viv Richards

Viv Richards was the first batting superstar that ODI cricket produced. At a time when pitches favored the bowlers and ODI cricket was still being “played safe”, Richards redefined the way the game and plundered bowling attacks at an astounding strike rate of 90.2.

Richards was also the first cricketer to give the word “swagger” a new meaning. He held the record of the fastest to 6,000 runs in ODI cricket before it was broken by Hashim Amla almost three decades later.

Richards will be best remembered for the 138* he scored in the 1979 World Cup final against England.

1. Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar is the owner of almost every single batting record in the game of cricket. Also known as the “God Of Cricket”, Tendulkar is worshipped for his staggering achievements including that for the most runs (18,426) and most hundreds (49).

Although some of Tendukar's records might be broken one day, he was the first to scale the Everest as far as batting is concerned. No cricketer had been under more scrutiny in the history of the game, as Tendulkar bore the burden of expectations of more than a billion people for almost a quarter of a century every time he walked in to bat.

Harsha Bhogle even very famously said, "When Tendulkar plays well, India sleeps well.”