Rating the top 10 current ODI batsmen in the world

Cricket is an enthralling sport! From the gruelling Test matches to the nerve-wracking T20 action, the sport presents memorable moments at every corner. In the road from Test to T20, there lies a certain ODI form of the game, the one which has provided us all with a fair share of reason to fall in love with this amazingly beautiful sport. The prospect of facing the white ball may not be as daunting as the red ball. But when coupled with the field restrictions and the overs limit in the limited-overs cricket, it can be utterly challenging for a player to shine with the bat. ODI cricket demands the right balance between composure and aggressiveness and the ones who maintain it, they prosper whereas the others sink! The game has changed with the advent of T20 cricket. And the ODI format has witnessed a handful of changes in terms of playing style as well as the expectations from the avid fans. The onus is on the batsmen these days to come up with a bucket load of runs and perform consistently as well as efficiently with the bat. Talking about consistency and efficiency, there are few batsmen who practice these terms to perfection as far as the ODI cricket is concerned. Here we bring you the top 10 current batsmen in ODI cricket: 10. Quinton de Kock – 6.5/10 Quinton de Kock. (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images) South African cricket is in some sort of transition state at the moment as some of the top players retired recently. But the Proteas still look like a formidable unit thanks to Quinton de Kock. He continues to shine with the bat in these testing times. With a vast number of shots up his alley, De Kock is one of the most versatile players around. His playing style has often drawn comparisons with the legendary Australian wicket-keeper batsman, Adam Gilchrist. Being discussed in the same breath as Gilchrist is an achievement in itself for him. And it won’t be wrong to say that the mercurial South African deserves every bit of appreciation that he receives. De Kock is just 93 runs away from reaching the magical number of 5000 ODI runs. With age by his side, the hard-hitting southpaw will surely accumulate a lot more runs in his promising career. 9. Aaron Finch – 7/10 Aaron Finch (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images) 2019 has been Aaron Finch‘s year with the bat. The Australian stalwart averages 51.86 in the 50-over format and has been in the form of his life. In Steve Smith and David Warner’s absence, it was Finch who stood up and performed incredibly well leading from the front. The Australian skipper was pivotal to his side’s World Cup campaign in England where they reached the last-4 stage before being eliminated by the hosts. Finch scored 507 runs including two massive 100s against Sri Lanka and England in the group stage. Finch’s main strength has been his ability to adapt to the situation. A calm and composed figure who is every bit as potent as it can be, Aaron Finch is the perfect package. An on-song Finch can dismantle even the most menacing bowling attacks in the world. 2019 marks the first occasion where Aaron Finch scored more than 1000 runs in a calendar year. He has so far amassed 1141 runs from 23 ODIs this year. 8. Kane Williamson – 7/10 Kane Williamson (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images) ICC World Cup 2019’s Player of the Tournament takes a well-deserving spot on this list courtesy of his masterclass with the bat. From his gritty knocks on away tours to the massive 100s, Kane Williamson has been one of the finest cricketers for the Black Caps. New Zealand have a potent batting unit engrossed with stars all over. From the dangerous Martin Guptill to the exuberant Jimmy Neesham, they are blessed with firepower. Amid all this, Williamson is the one who acts as a glue to the fearsome line-up. Williamson often steers the ship in the testing situations and adds a great amount of composure to the dynamic New Zealand side. His consistency with the bat can be well explained with his impressive numbers as he possesses an average of 47.91 in ODI cricket. 7. Jonny Bairstow – 7.5/10 Jonny Bairstow (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images) His ouster from England’s Test side made a lot of news in recent times. He struggled against the red ball in the Ashes series. While he may have been disappointing in Tests, but same can’t be said about the white-ball format where Jonny Bairstow‘s numbers have been nothing short of spectacular. Since 2017, Bairstow has amassed 2403 runs in 52 ODIs which include nine centuries. Prior to the ICC World Cup 2019, he was tipped to be one of the leading run-scorers of the competition. And the dynamic English opener lived up to the hype. Bairstow started the tournament slowly but came to form at the right time scoring two back-to-back centuries against India and New Zealand to help his side reach the semifinals and the rest, as they say, is history. 6. Rohit Sharma – 8/10 Indian opener Rohit Sharma (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images) Rohit Sharma, the man who loves to score big, the man who’s scored more double hundreds than anyone else in ODI cricket and the man who we all lovingly refer to as “Hitman”. Sharma is a sort of effervescent player who switches gears like a finely oiled machine. His numbers in ODI cricket place him in the world-class bracket and it’s no secret that the Indian ace is one of the most impactful players around. Rohit Sharma’s stroke play exhibits class, appeal and above all, audacity. He ain’t the one to shy away and it won’t be wrong to say that on his day, India’s ODI vice-captain is a force to reckon with. He broke a number of records at the ICC World Cup 2019 in England including the most centuries scored by a player in a single edition. All in all, combine Chris Gayle’s six-hitting prowess with Virat Kohli’s class and you’ll get someone like Rohit Sharma! 5. Ross Taylor – 8/10 New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) The man of all seasons, Ross Taylor has aged like a fine wine. He made his debut in 2006 and has gone on to become one of the most consistent cricketers to play for New Zealand. Having scored more than 8000 runs in ODI cricket, Taylor is amongst the highest run-scorers for his nation in the format. What startles the most about his career is the way he has modified his game in the latter stages of his journey. From a dynamic slogger to an efficient middle-order batsman, Taylor’s transformation has been admirable. 2019 has been yet another brilliant year for the Kiwi as he has notched up a whopping 943 runs from 21 matches at an impressive strike rate of 86.51. At 35 years old, Taylor is still going strong but it remains to be seen as to how much more has the classy Kiwi got left in his tank. 4. Jason Roy – 8.5/10 England’s Jason Roy (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images) Jason Roy may have endured a torrid Ashes with the bat but that doesn’t hide the fact that he is one of the most lethal openers in the limited-overs cricket. The swashbuckling Englishman has been key to England’s rise and played a crucial role in the side’s first-ever World Cup triumph. The World Champions look half the side in Roy’s absence and the Surrey batsman clearly adds a great amount of flair. His dynamic style of play is paramount to England’s ideology, which has helped them land the World Cup crown finally. Roy has feasted on runs in his career so far and 2019 has been no different. The hard-hitting batsman has scored a whopping 845 runs in 14 ODIs at an astonishing strike-rate of 118.18. He has formed a destructive partnership with Jonny Bairstow and England’s attacking intent in the white-ball cricket starts right at the top with the two prolific openers. 3. David Warner – 9/10 David Warner of Australia. (Photo Source: Twitter) A player who has it all to win the games on his own! David Warner is a fighter who knows to do a lot of things but giving up isn’t one of them. He returned to international cricket this year and embraced the World Cup stage to help his team reach the semi-final of the tournament. Warner’s return to the ODI side brought stability at the top which had been missing in his absence. The vibrant Aussie is often reckoned as one of the most lethal batsmen around thanks to his destructive deeds with the bat at the top. But the beauty of David Warner’s batting is he isn’t just a one-trick pony as cricket enthusiasts would agree. And it makes Warner such a fearsome batsman is the way he acclimatizes to the situation. He top-scored for Australia at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup with 647 runs to his name. 2. Babar Azam – 9/10 Babar Azam. (Photo Source: Twitter) Pakistan has produced some fine batsmen over the years and Babar Azam seems to be yet another one. His numbers in ODI cricket have gained him a lot of applauses. This is the main reason why many label him as the best ever from his country. In the last decade or so, the Men in Green have tried myriad of batsmen at the number three spot. But if there is one who has thrived at the position then that is Babar Azam. He has been rock solid at the position and has cemented his place in the side with consistent performances. Azam’s ODI average lies just above 54 after playing just 74 ODIs so far. It can be rightly said that the 24-year old is the future of Pakistani cricket, one which looks extremely appealing! 1. Virat Kohli – 9.5/10 India’s captain Virat Kohli (Photo credit should read DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images) The numero uno ODI batsman is none other than the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli. The Indian run-machine has tormented bowlers over the years with his grit, persistence and utmost dedication. He has rescued the Men in Blue on numerous occasions. Only his presence in the side is a frightening sight for even the fiercest bowling units in the world. Nobody rules the game better than the Indian talisman and his 11520 ODI runs prove it. Kohli has defined dominance with the bat in his hand and consistency with a motive in his mind. His numbers after being made India captain have been astonishing. This shows that the added responsibility and pressure brings the best out of him. Kohli is the scoring centuries at will at the moment. And he is soon expected to go past Sachin Tendulkar’s majestic 51 tons in the ODI format. ~Written by Sanchit Grover

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Rating the top 10 current ODI batsmen in the world

These players have been ruling the 50-over format consistently over the last couple of years.

7. Jonny Bairstow – 7.5/10

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