Top 5 batsmen with most sixes in ODIs since 2010

The playing conditions and guidelines to play the game of cricket have evolved over the years. In the modern era, the playing conditions are heavily skewed in favour of batsmen. The ODI cricket pitches these days offer true bounce and almost no lateral movement which is enabling the batsmen to hit through the line without any concerns.

Due to this situation, the 300+ scores have become a normal feat these days as opposed to the previous decade when a score bordering the 300 run mark was considered as a match-winning score. The rapid ascent in popularity of T20 cricket during this decade is also one of the major reasons behind the ultra-attacking mindset of the modern-day batsman.

Due to this attacking mindset, the batsmen these days more often than not look to unsettle the bowler's rhythm by hitting sixes and scoring runs at brisk pace. In this slideshow, we are going to take a look at 5 batsmen who have pioneered the six-hitting craft and became the most prolific hitters in the world cricket today.

The other batsmen from the top ten of this list are -

#6 MS Dhoni - 108 sixes

#7 Virat Kohli - 107 sixes

#8 Kieron Pollard - 103 sixes

#9 Brendon McCullum - 103 sixes

#10 Shahid Afridi - 98 sixes

Here are the top 5 six hitters in ODI cricket since the start of this decade -

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#5 Chris Gayle - 124 sixes

The Universe Boss as he is fondly called by his fans around the globe - Chris Gayle is one of the most powerful hitters the game of cricket has ever seen. He possesses the ability to hit mammoth sixes at any juncture of the game irrespective of the game situation and playing conditions.

He has in played 79 ODI matches since 2010 and hit 124 sixes. He currently holds the fifth position on this list.

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#3 Martin Guptill - 133 sixes

Martin Guptill in action

New Zealand's white ball opener Martin Guptill established himself as a destructive batsman in the Kiwis top order. He has the ability to score runs at an alarming pace by hitting giant sixes. He is one of the few batsmen in world cricket to have scored an ODI double century a feat he achieved during the 2015 World cup quarter-final match against the West Indies team at Wellington.

Martin Guptill has played in 137 ODI matches since 2010 and hit 133 sixes. He currently holds the fourth position on this list.

#3 Eoin Morgan - 142 sixes

Eoin Morgan

England cricket team's fortunes in limited overs cricket took a drastic turn after their dismal performance in 2015 World Cup. Eoin Morgan is one of the major reason for that overturn in fortunes as he took the responsibility of leading the struggling England team after the disastrous World Cup campaign and transformed them into a formidable ODI side in the last few years through his tactical acumen and attacking brand of gameplay.

He has also led the team by example by producing match-winning knocks regularly. He has played in 174 ODI matches since 2010 and hit 142 sixes. He currently holds the third position on this list.

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#2 AB de Villiers - 155 sixes

Modern day legend - AB de Villiers

Mr.360 AB de Villiers retired from international cricket this year owing to personal reasons and fatigue. Before retiring from international cricket he established himself as one of the greats of the game through his illustrious accomplishments. He is one of the cleanest hitters the game of cricket has ever seen and possesses the ability to hit sixes towards all directions of the ground.

He played 135 ODI matches and hit 155 sixes. He currently holds the second position on this list. He is the only retired batsman on this list so it seems highly unlikely that he will hold onto the second position for long as Eoin Morgan is closing in on his tally.

#1 Rohit Sharma - 197 sixes

.The Hitman - Rohit Sharma

The Hitman of world cricket - Rohit Sharma has been the most prolific six-hitter in international cricket since 2010. The evolution of his career from a struggling middle-order batsman to one of the most consistent openers in ODI cricket has been one of the most inspirational tales inside the cricketing circles during this decade. He is also the only batsmen on the planet to have scored 3 double hundreds in ODI cricket and four centuries in T20I cricket.

He has played in 152 ODI matches since 2010 and hit 197 sixes and currently holds the pole position on this elite list which comprises the most destructive batsman of this decade. He is already second in the list of players with most ODI sixes for India just behind MS Dhoni. He is all set to overtake MS Dhoni's tally in the near future given his nonchalant six-hitting prowess.