Ranking the top 10 ODI batsmen in the world at present

The ODI format is the most played format and the format which requires a mixture of the Test match skills and T20 skills. It isn't the boom-boom format and it isn't even the blockathon format. The format demands patient and composed players and this is the reason all Test match and T20 players can't succeed in ODIs.

It is the most played format in International cricket and world tournaments such as the World Cup and Champions Trophy are played in this format. Even the Asia Cup is played in this format.

Talking about the Asia Cup, it was a fantastic tournament and lower ranked nations such as Hong Kong and Afghanistan played very well. Hong Kong had a good chance of beating India while Afghanistan defeated Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. They tied with India and lost out narrowly to Pakistan. The tournament took us back to the 90s and late 80s when 220s and 230s were match-winning scores.

Teams struggled to score runs and almost all matches went down to the wire. Even the final, was a thriller and India managed to win the game only on the last ball. Ultimately, India did win the tournament and Bangladesh finished as runners-up. However, the most impressive team in the tournament was Afghanistan.

Back to the actual topic, batting in ODIs requires a special skill and not all batsmen have it. Only a few of the batsmen are good enough to master the format and in this article, we shall have a look at the top 10 batsmen in the ODI format.

Note: David Warner and Steve Smith haven't been considered as they have been suspended from playing International cricket, for now. All stats taken into account are the batting stats of the player in the last 2 years.

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#10 Ross Taylor

Ross Taylor

The Kiwi batsman is a key player for his country and is someone who absorbs the pressure, batting in the middle order. He along with Kane Williamson holds the key for New Zealand and steadies the ship whenever necessary. Ross Taylor has got the ability to tear into opposition bowling attacks or play a steady, calm innings and let his partners play aggressively.

He is often underrated for his credentials but he is as good as anybody is. The star player occupies the 7th spot in the ICC rankings for ODI batsmen. He has scored 1441 runs in 28 innings at an astounding average of 65.66 and boasts of a strike rate of 87. With such phenomenal stats, there is no doubt as to why he makes this coveted list.

#9 Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch

The Australian is regarded as one of the most devastating batsmen on the planet and can rip apart bowling attacks on his day. He is the best batsman by far, in an Australian team without David Warner and Steve Smith. He holds the record for the highest score in the T20I format, having scored 172 runs in a single game!

The Victoria-born opener is very aggressive and is surprisingly consistent for a batsman, who is as destructive as he is. He has played 16 matches and scored 841 runs at an average of 52.56 and has a strike rate of 94.17.

#8 Quinton de Kock

De Kock plays a shot

The wicketkeeper is an excellent batsman and often regarded as one of the best young batsmen. He impressed one and all from the very beginning and many have compared him with Adam Gilchrist. He is an explosive batsman and has the ability to become the best batsman, as well.

He has a penchant for scoring big runs, especially against India. The Johannesburg-born player has scored 1223 runs in 26 innings at a strike rate of 93.5 and has an average of 48.92. He has formed an outstanding partnership, at the top of the order with Hashim Amla, for South Africa.

#7 Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler

The Englishman is as devastating as anybody can get. He is known for playing whirlwind innings, coming down the order. He terrorizes bowling attacks due to, his mind-blowing abilities. He has the talent to muscle balls out of the park and he can gently scoop the balls for boundaries.

The keeper-batsman has been in great form since he was promoted to open the batting for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. He carried that form into the series against India and enhanced his immense reputation. He has scored 931 runs in 30 innings at a strike rate of 110.17 and averages 44.13. Those stats are terrific for a batsman who, bats at No.6 and No.5.

#6 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan

The Indian opener might not be the best when it comes to Test matches or T20s but he is one of the best in this format. He is a pillar of the Indian ODI team along with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He has formed a great partnership with the aforementioned duo and played a key role in India's ODI success.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad opener was fantastic in the Asia Cup and was adjudged as the Man of the Series. He has scored 1745 runs in 36 innings at an average of 52.87 and has a phenomenal strike rate of 102.76.

#5 Faf du Plessis

Faf du Plessis

The Pretoria born batsman captains South Africa and is unarguably their best batsman, now that AB de Villiers has retired. He occupies the No.3 spot for South Africa and plays the role of a Virat Kohli for them. He has had a bad time with injuries this year and it forced him to miss the limited over series against India. He also missed the initial stages of IPL.

He was instrumental for CSK and it was his heroic innings that saved them from losing the 1st qualifier against SRH. The Proteas skipper has scored 1131 runs in 22 innings at a strike rate of 94.18 and has an average of 59.52.

#4 Joe Root

Joe Root

The English skipper is one of the best in the world and is a part of the Fab 4. The 27-year-old is a great batsman and can change the results of games on his own. He is a rock solid player and his defence is impeccable. He has also got the ability to play the big shots and accelerate whenever the need be.

The Yorkshire batsman has scored 1783 runs in 37 innings at an average 66.03 and boasts of a healthy strike rate of 89.15.

#3 Rohit Sharma

Ro-hitman Sharma

The Hitman is a ferocious batsman and there is no one who can be more aggressive than him, on his day. The Mumbaikar has scored 3 double hundreds in ODI cricket, the most for any batsman. In fact, no batsman has scored more than 1 double century. He has also scored 3 centuries in T20I's and that is enough to scare oppositions.

He has scored 1934 runs in 35 innings at a strike rate of 96.6 and has an average of 66.68.

#2 Jonathan Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow

The wicket-keeper batsman was a backup in England's ODI squad but Jason Roy's poor form in the Champions Trophy paved the way for Bairstow's entry into the team. He used that opportunity to the fullest and hasn't looked back since. Although he isn't an opener, he accepted the challenge and that has seen him become one of the best in the world.

It took him just a year's time to become one of the best. He is a devastating batsman and takes the game to the opposition. He doesn't let the bowlers settle and he hammers them for runs. He is a very consistent batsman and it wouldn't be wrong if, one said that he is better than the likes of Joe Root and Kane Williamson.

He has scored 1504 runs in 29 innings at an average of 62.66 and has a terrifying strike rate of 112.74.

#1 Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli

Who else could be on top of this list? There is no doubt about who is the best player in the world. Virat Kohli can easily win matches on his own and a bad day for him is a bad day for India, on most days. The Indian skipper is always in great form and there is no bowler who can stop him from scoring runs on his day. He scores runs for fun and carries the Indian team.

The Delhi born batsman has amassed 35 hundreds in the 50 over format and it is very likely that he will break Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 hundreds. The sensational batsman has scored a whopping 2209 runs in 35 innings at a strike rate of 98.44 and has a superb average of 88.38. Those stats just prove why he is the best batsman in the world.

Honourable mentions: Kane Williamson, Hashim Amla, Martin Guptill, Babar Azam and Tamim Iqbal