5 batsmen with most runs in ODI finals

What separates a great player from a good one is the ability to rise to the occasion and display nerves of steel at crunch moments.

When there is a massive weight of expectations and the pressure is amplified, the spotlight is on the clutch player to take his team out of troubled waters.

Therefore, performing well in the final of a tournament is a Herculean task and a matter of immense pride.

Great performances in title-defining clashes are etched in the game's history forever.

Perhaps this is the reason why not many players are able to handle the pressure associated with the ultimate battle and those who do are remembered forever.

So now, let's take a trip down memory lane and relive the performances that deserve all the accolades.

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#5 Mahela Jayawardene - 1103 runs

Former Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene, who made his ODI debut in 1998 against Zimbabwe, played 32 tournament finals in his 17-year-long ODI career.

Jayawardene, who became only the second cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar to appear in 600 international matches, scored 1,103 runs at an average of 38.03 in the finals.

Six years ago, Sri Lanka, led by Kumar Sangakkara lost to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's India in the 2011 ICC World Cup final at the Wankhede Stadium and the game's lone centurion Jayawardene ended up on the losing side.

Riding on Jayawardene's 103* off 88 balls, his highest score in a final, the visitors posted a total of 274/6 in 50 overs.

The Men in Blue chased down Sri Lanka's 275 and lifted the elusive trophy, winning the game by six wickets.

#4 Adam Gilchrist - 1163 runs

Adam Gilchrist was the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2002

Between 1998 and 2008, Adam Gilchrist played 33 finals for Australia and scored 1,163 runs at an average of 37.51.

The Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2002, Gilchrist scored 16 ODI tons and three of them were scored in deciders.

Gilchrist, in an ODI career that lasted 12 years, played his most memorable final innings in the 2007 ICC World Cup.

Playing with a squash ball stuffed inside his glove, Gilchrist hit 13 fours and eight sixes from just 104 balls to score 149, the fastest hundred in the history of cup finals.

Australia beat Sri Lanka by 53 runs by the Duckworth-Lewis method at Bridgetown to complete a hat-trick of World Cup titles.

#3 Ricky Ponting - 1345 runs

Ponting first tasted World Cup success under Steve Waugh in 1999

Between 1995 and 2009, former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting played 41 ODIs that were tournament finals and scored 1,345 runs at an average of 38.42.

Ponting, who made his 50-over format debut against South Africa in 1995, scored two of his 30 ODI tons in tournament finales.

Ponting, who tasted his first World Cup success under Steve Waugh in 1999, led Australia to consecutive titles in 2003 and 2007 to complete a unique hat-trick.

However, it was Ponting's breathtaking assault in the 2003 final against India at Johannesburg that reduced the title decider to a one-sided romp.

Ponting remained unbeaten on 140 off 121 deliveries as Australia posted an intimidating target of 360.

India faltered in the chase as Australia won the match by 125 runs and lifted their third world title, the only team to do so.

#2 Sanath Jayasuriya - 1613 runs

Sanath Jayasuriya revolutionized limited-overs batting with his aggressive approach

Sanath Jayasuriya, who had a terrible start to his ODI career in 1989, saw a meteoric rise and went on to become the arch-nemesis of his opponents before quitting international cricket in 2011.

Between 1999 and 2009, the Matara Mauler played 39 tournament finals and scored 1,613 runs at an average of 42.44.

The man who revolutionized limited-overs batting with his aggressive tactics scored 28 ODI hundreds in an international career that lasted over two decades.

Jayasuriya, who has four 150-plus scores in his ODI career, went berserk against India, scoring 189 off 161 deliveries in the 2000 Champions Trophy at Sharjah.

Sourav Ganguly dismissed Jayasuriya 11 runs short of an ODI double ton but could not save his team from an embarrassing defeat as, needing 300 to win, India were cleaned up for 54. Sri Lanka won the match and trophy by 245 runs.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar - 1851 runs

Tendulkar holds the record for the most number of centuries in international cricket

Sachin Tendulkar, the man who carried the weight of Indian cricket on his shoulders for 24 years, played 40 tournament finals between 1991 and 2011.

The leading run-scorer in the 50-over format of the game scored 1,851 out of his 18,426 runs in 39 title-deciding innings at an enviable average of 54.44.

Tendulkar, who holds the record for the most number of centuries in international cricket, also tops the list of tons scored in finals (6).

In the 2009 Compaq Cup final against Sri Lanka at Colombo back in 2009, the Master Blaster attacked with precision and destroyed the opposition very subtly.

In a match-winning knock, Tendulkar scored 138 off 133 as India posted 319/5 and won the match and title by 46 runs.