Batting in the top order is always a challenge, especially against the new ball. And if the conditions favour bowlers, it adds up more pressure.
One silly shot and you deprive your team of a good start. But a few batters have carried a huge responsibility on their shoulders by piling up crucial runs at the top.
So here’s a look at the top-order batters with the most runs in ODI cricket.
Most ODI Runs at Top Order (1-3)
| Player | Inns | Runs | Avg | HS | SR | 100s/50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 350 | 15402 | 47.24 | 200* | 87.61 | 45/75 |
| Virat Kohli (IND) | 256 | 13154 | 60.61 | 183 | 94.85 | 48/70 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (Asia/SL) | 391 | 12948 | 34.43 | 189 | 92.24 | 28/68 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS/ICC) | 336 | 12934 | 42.68 | 164 | 80.67 | 29/77 |
| Sourav Ganguly (Asia/IND) | 268 | 10622 | 42.83 | 183 | 73.86 | 22/68 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (Asia/ICC/SL) | 259 | 10570 | 44.41 | 169 | 80.22 | 22/68 |
| Chris Gayle (ICC/WI) | 276 | 10205 | 39.25 | 215 | 87.83 | 25/53 |
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 210 | 10118 | 52.97 | 264 | 96.03 | 33/49 |
| Adam Gilchrist (AUS/ICC) | 260 | 9229 | 36.47 | 172 | 97.87 | 16/53 |
| Desmond Haynes (WI) | 237 | 8648 | 41.37 | 152* | 63.09 | 17/57 |
| Saeed Anwar (PAK) | 232 | 8605 | 40.02 | 194 | 80.46 | 20/42 |
| Tamim Iqbal (BAN) | 240 | 8357 | 36.65 | 158 | 78.52 | 14/56 |
| Hashim Amla (SA) | 178 | 8113 | 49.46 | 159 | 88.39 | 27/39 |
| Jacques Kallis (Afr/ICC/SA) | 207 | 7909 | 44.68 | 139 | 73.58 | 13/58 |
| Virender Sehwag (Asia/ICC/IND) | 223 | 7870 | 36.43 | 219 | 104.9 | 15/36 |
Key Insights on Leading Run Scorers Among Top Order Batters in ODI Cricket
Most Runs and Century Records by Top-Order Batters in ODIs
Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most runs as a top-order batter in ODIs, with 15402 runs to his name in 350 innings.
Tendulkar also leads the overall ODI run chart with 18426 runs across 452 innings for India.
Virat Kohli (India) has smashed the most centuries as a top-order batter in ODIs, with Tendulkar being the only other batter with more than 40 hundreds.
Tendulkar, Kohli and Ricky Ponting (Australia) are the three batters with 100 or more fifty-plus scores while batting in the top order in ODIs.
Highest Batting Averages and Strike Rates as Top-Order Batters in ODIs
India’s Shubman Gill and Kohli are the only two batters to average 60 or above as top-order batters in ODIs (minimum 50 innings batted).
Travis Head (Australia), Jonny Bairstow (England), Jason Roy (England), Virender Sehwag (India), Shahid Afridi (Pakistan), Brendon McCullum (New Zealand) and Gill are the seven batters with strike rates of 100 or above in the top order in ODIs (minimum 2000 balls faced).
Kohli is the only batter to average above 50 in home and away fixtures as a top-order batter in ODIs (minimum 50 innings batted).
Most Boundaries and Highest Scores by Top-Order Batters in ODIs
Tendulkar has struck the most fours as a top-order batter, with 1785 boundaries to his name.
India’s Rohit Sharma, meanwhile, leads the six-hitting chart as a top-order batter, with over 350 maximums in ODIs.
Sharma has also smashed the highest individual score in ODIs. He scored 264 off 173 balls while opening against Sri Lanka in the 2014 Eden Gardens ODIs. (Relive the innings here!)
Most Runs by Venue, Series and Calendar Year as Top-Order Batters in ODIs
Tendulkar aggregated 6115 of his 15402 runs in India. This is the most runs by a top-order batter at home in ODIs.
Kohli, meanwhile, is the only top-order batter to score 5000-plus runs in away ODIs.
Kohli has scored the most centuries at home (24+) and away (19+) as a top-order batter in ODIs.
Kohli has aggregated the most runs as a top-order batter in a bilateral ODI series. He scored 558 runs on the six-match South Africa tour in 2018.
Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal has scored the most runs as a top-order batter at a single venue in ODIs. He aggregated 2897 runs in 85 innings at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya (2380 at RPS, Colombo) and Pakistan’s Saeed Anwar (2085 at Sharjah) are the other top-order batters with 2000-plus runs at a single venue in ODIs.
Tendulkar has accumulated the most runs as a top-order batter against an opponent in ODIs. He scored 2836 runs in 62 innings against Australia.
Tendulkar (vs AUS, PAK & SL), Haynes (vs AUS & PAK), Jayasuriya (vs IND & PAK) and Kohli (vs AUS & WI) are the four top-order batters with 2000-plus runs against two or more ODI opponents.
Tendulkar has scored the most runs as a top-order batter in a calendar year in ODIs. He accumulated 1840 runs in 32 innings in 1998.
Tendulkar has scored the most runs as an opener in ODIs, with 15310 of his runs coming while batting at No. 1 or No. 2 for India.
Jayasuriya, Gayle and Rohit Sharma are the other three openers with 10000-plus runs in ODIs.
Kohli and Ponting, meanwhile, are the only two batters to score 10000-plus runs as a No. 3 batter in ODIs.
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