ODI cricket has seen many match winners over the years. The format has seen many individual performances that have lit up the game. These performances were deservingly rewarded with player-of-match awards. There have been many players who have been repeated match winners. These select players have aced this format. The ODIs were richer owing to the presence of these certified legends.
We Look At Players With The Most Player Of The Match Awards In ODI History:
#5 Ricky Ponting (32 POTMs)
He is one of the few players to have won the World Cup thrice in a row. Ricky Ponting is considered to be among the finest batsmen of all time. He was a legend both in ODIs and Tests. His rivalry with his peers was fascinating.
Ricky Ponting’s 140 not out in the World Cup finals of 2003 broke a billion Indian hearts. It is no surprise that Ponting ended up scoring more than 13,000 runs in ODIs. He won a total of 32 player of the match awards in ODIs in 375 games.
#4 Jacques Kallis (32 POTMs)
He is considered the best all-rounder in the history of the sport. Jacques Kallis was the cornerstone of South Africa’s batting for many years. He won games all on his own, especially with his batting. Kallis batting at number 3 at times even bowled with the new ball. He played 328 ODIs scoring 11,579 runs and picking up 273 wickets. Kallis won 32 player of the match awards.
#3 Virat Kohli (36* POTMs)
He is the only active player on this list. Virat Kohli last won a player of the match award almost three years ago. He is already an all-time ODI great. It is scary to imagine the number of runs he is going to end up in the ODI format.
Kohli has amassed 43 ODI centuries so far. He is next to just Sachin Tendulkar in the centuries count. Kohli has been India’s biggest match-winner in the format. He has already won 36 player of the match awards in 262 games.
#2 Sanath Jayasuriya (48 POTMs)
He is a certified legend of the game. Sanath Jayasuriya is one of the most underrated ODI all-rounders. He opened the innings and provided blistering starts to the side. Jayasuriya was a canny bowler who choked opponents with his left-arm spin. He played a mammoth 445 ODIs scoring 13,430 runs. Jayasuriya picked up 323 wickets too. He won 48 player of the match awards.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar (62 POTMs)
There is no debating over the fact that Sachin Tendulkar is the best ODI batsman. He played the format as if he was born to play ODIs. Tendulkar came into his own in the ODIs once he started opening the innings in 1994. There was no stopping Tendulkar since. He went on to play 463 ODIs scoring a humungous 18,426 runs. There is little surprise that he won 62 player of the match awards in the process.
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