Hi, folks! We all have a fancy for statistics, don’t we? Don’t you constantly keep an eye on the ICC rankings to see whether our very own Virat is at the top of the pile among ODI batsmen, or whether Ravindra Jadeja is among the best all-rounders in the world? To satiate our hunger for these statistics, SPORTZWIKI presents to you an all-new section ‘STATS’ in which we would cover the most interesting stats in the cricketing world.
Today, we take a look at the Top 10 ODI batsmen with highest ever rating in the 21st century. One of the easiest and convenient ways to judge a batsman’s ability is to see how they perform at the peak of their powers – how well they deliver in the prime of their cricketing careers. So join us on our journey as they dissect the ICC batsmen ratings and come to a conclusion of the elite batsmen in the modern day game in SPORTZWIKI’s Top 10 ODI batsmen with highest ever rating in the 21st century.
10. MS Dhoni (Ind) – 836 (The year 2009)
MS Dhoni’s career hasn’t been a walk in the park – the Indian captain built a reputation for being a destructive stroke-maker but honed his skills to make himself a much more impactful cricketer in the limited overs format. India’s greatest finisher is 10th in SPORTZWIKI’s Top 10 ODI batsmen with a highest ever rating in the 21st century.
9. Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) – 838 (The year 2003)
There are few players in world cricket who can match the ODI records of Sanath Jayasuriya – the Sri Lankan opener looked comfortable smashing the bowlers through all corners of the cricket ground and with a highest ever rating of 838 achieved in 2003, Jayasuriya takes the 9th spot in SPORTZWIKI’s Top 10 ODI batsmen with highest ever rating in 21st century.
8. Kumar Sangakkara (SL) – 840 (The year 2013)
Kumar Sangakkara is a match winner – an exceptional performer for Sri Lanka for over a decade, and his finishing abilities was there for all to see when he took the Lankans home against India a few days back in the Asia Cup.
7. Sourav Ganguly (Ind) – 844 (The year 2000)
There are few better players than Sourav Ganguly in his prime – Sourav reached his highest ever rating of 844 in 2000, after a successful year in 1999 when he also smashed his highest ODI score of 183 at Taunton against Sri Lanka.
6. Matthew Hayden (Aus) – 850 (The year 2003)
Matthew reached his cricketing heights in the period 2001-2004, which included a successful World Cup in South Africa in which Australia saw off India in the final. Hayden carried on the good work into the test matches that season, beating Brian Lara‘s record with a cracking 380 against Zimbabwe, only to be broken by Lara again.
5. George Bailey (Australia) – 856 (The year 2014)
George Bailey has had to wait in the wings for his shot at wearing the Australian jersey, but the stylish middle-order batsman grabbed it with both hands with a truly stunning year with the bat which included a successful tour of India in which he scored 474 runs in just 5 innings.
4. Michael Hussey (Aus) – 857 (The year 2007)
Mr. Cricket Michael Hussey took a little time to establish himself in the Australian ranks with consistent performances that played a major role in Australia’s triumph in the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean. Hussey is 4th in SPORTZWIKI’s Top 10 ODI batsmen with a highest ever rating in the 21st century.
3. Virat Kohli (India) – 882 (The year 2013)
Virat Kohli looked in amazing touch in 2013 – the Delhi boy couldn’t put a foot wrong as he went on to 5 centuries last year which included a hundred off just 52 balls against Australia in Jaipur. The stand-in Indian captain takes a podium spot in SPORTZWIKI’s Top 10 ODI batsmen with highest ever rating in the 21st century with the highest rating of 882.
2. AB de Villiers (SA) – 883 (The year 2013)
AB de Villiers is undoubtedly the most consistent batsman in the modern game spanning all formats – the South African limited overs captain has established himself as a proven performer at the highest level and there is little doubt that there is a lot more to come from AB!
1. Hashim Amla (South Africa) – 901 (The year 2012)
Hashim Amla doesn’t give you the impression that he is much of an ODI player, but Amla has silenced his doubters with exquisite performances in the ODI format, also notching up 3000 runs in the format in the fastest time. Hashim Amla takes the 1st spot in SPORTZWIKI’s Top 10 ODI batsmen with highest ever rating in the 21st century with a highest ever rating of 901.