Batsmen With Most ODI Runs: It is true that ODI cricket is trying hard to stay relevant. There is a certain identity crisis with the format. Some see it as an extension of T20 cricket while a few looks at is a compressed version of Test cricket. There is no distinctive factor about ODI cricket anymore. But there was an era when ODI cricket meant everything to cricket fans. Batsmen dominated the format predominantly.
We Look At The Top 5 Batsmen Who Scored The Most Number Of ODI Runs In A Single Year:
#5 Matthew Hayden – 2007 (1601 runs)
2007 was just another year of Australian dominance. They bossed the 2007 ODI World Cup. Matthew Hayden finished with the most number of runs in the tournament. He set the platform for Australia on most occasions. Hayden carried his good form over to India when the Aussies toured later in 2007. The intimidating left-hander amassed 1601 runs in ODIs that year. It was a year to remember for the Australian.
#4 Sachin Tendulkar – 1996 (1611 runs)
Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI career was divided into two phases. In the pre-1994 phase where he was batting in the middle order, and in post-1994 where he started opening the innings. Tendulkar became a different batsman once he started opening the innings for India. The year 1996 was early evidence of what the late 90s could bring. It was the World Cup year. Tendulkar unsurprisingly finished with the most number of runs in that edition. He finished the year with 1611 ODI runs.
#3 Rahul Dravid – 1999 (1761 runs)
He was once dropped from the ODI side for his inability to rotate strike. Rahul Dravid made a strong comeback into the ODI team. He finished with the most number of runs in the 1999 World Cup. Dravid smashed 461 runs comprising two centuries in must-win games. The year 1999 was his breakthrough year in ODIs wherein he ended up notching 6 ODI centuries. Dravid became the fulcrum of the side batting at number 3. He had an ODI tally of 1761 runs in 1999.
#2 Sourav Ganguly – 1999 (1767 runs)
The prince of Kolkata went 6 runs better than Rahul Dravid. Sourav Ganguly was artistic at the 1999 World Cup. He caressed the off-side like no other. His epic 183 against Sri Lanka in the World Cup was the Indian record for the highest ODI score in an inning. Ganguly was his aggressive best in 1999. It was his consistency with the bat that prompted selectors to look at him as a captaincy candidate. Ganguly amassed 1767 ODI runs in 1999 scoring 6 centuries in the process.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar – 1998 (1894 runs)
There couldn’t have been any other batsman on this list apart from him. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar remains the G.O.A.T ODI player of all time. It was Sachin who turbocharged a nation’s dream for ODI success. The year 1998 belonged to Sachin. No matter what the format, Sachin turned up and belted centuries.
There has rarely been a year where a batsman has dominated the game so much as how Sachin did in 1998. His two special knocks (desert storm) came in 1998. No wonder the master blaster finished with 1894 ODI runs that year. He scored just 9 ODI centuries that year!
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