How does it feel when a stadium full of people is chanting your name? To know the feeling, you need to be in these people’s shoes. Today, I bring you the ultimate list of all the greatest batsmen in the world who scored the highest run in cricket and, in the process, won millions of hearts.
From athletes to gods, these batsmen have traveled the mile and left their own mark in the sporting world. So without further ado, let us dive right in!
More Than A Sport
Indians can never survive without cinema and cricket, the latter more than the former. Nothing truer has been said about us Indians. We Indians practically live and breathe cricket. Every year approximately around 80% of the Indian population tune into watching the sport. Imagine 80% of 140 crores. Not a small number by any chance.
And for these individuals, cricket is not just a sport anymore but a religion. And as a result, cricketers have ascended to the levels of gods. Therefore, anything related to cricket is easily as sacred as any other religious text.
So in honor of this sport, let us look at some of the cricketing legends who hold records like scoring most runs in international cricket or simply breaking any and every test or ODI records.
Top 5 Highest scorers
Before we start the list, I would like to clarify that all the names on this list are legends in their own respect. Therefore, this list is not compiled in any ranking. On that note, let us look at some of the players who scored highest run in cricket.
Virat Kohli (India)
A name that is synonymous with high scores in recent times. Kohli is a fierce captain and a fiercer player who manages to keep the cricket field filled with energy. The driving force behind Kohli’s success is his iron will and the passion he shares for the game. According to sources, Kohli’s ODI score is more than 10k. Therefore it is apparent why his name is on the list of batsmen who scored the most runs in international cricket in all formats. Also, Kohli is probably the only player on this list who has scored most runs in T20 format of the game, compared to others.
Here is a chart for a detailed overview of Kohli’s total runs to date.
| Format | Matches | Total Runs |
| Test | 108 | 8,416 |
| ODI | 274 | 12,844 |
| T20 (International) | 115 | 4,008 |
| T20 (League) | 223 | 6,624 |
Ricky Ponting (Australia)
Lauded as one of the ‘best batsman’ of the world. Ponting was a forerunner of the most runs in international cricket in all formats during his time. Most of us who grew up on cricket remember Ponting for his perfect pull shots, and tenacity. Even though he retired in year 2012, Ponting is still one of the inspirational figures in the sport. Here is Ponting’s test as well as ODI run list for reference.
| Format | Matches | Total Runs |
| Test | 168 | 13,378 |
| ODI | 375 | 13,704 |
| T20 (International) | 17 | 401 |
| T20 (League) | 10 | 91 |
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
Who could forget a game-breaking opening match scoring 156 against a team like Zimbabwe? That was Kumar Sangakkara’s debut match for you. To this day, this is still one of the highest run in ODI match scored by a debutant. Apart from being a fierce batsman, Sangakkara is also a praiseworthy wicketkeeper. Sangakkara is one of the few batsmen who crossed the 10k mark in both tests as well as ODIs.
| Format | Matches | Total Runs |
| Test | 134 | 12,400 |
| ODI | 404 | 14,234 |
| T20 (International) | 56 | 1,382 |
| T20 (League) | 71 | 1,687 |
Sir Jack Hobbs
Popularly known as “The Master,” Hobbs is easily one of the legends of cricketing history. There have been players who might have broken his cricketing records, but he is the first ever cricketer in the world to have ever received a Knighthood from the Queen of England. Now that is a record nobody can top. Now, the run list of Hobbs might seem underwhelming when compared to others on this list. However, we have to remember that Hobbs is from an era when only Test matches were played. Therefore, you would not find many variations in his list. Still, during his time, he held the title of scoring world highest run in cricket.
| Format | Matches | Total Runs |
| Test | 61 | 5,410 |
| ODI | N/A | N/A |
| T20 (International) | N/A | N/A |
| T20 (League) | N/A | N/A |
Sachin Tendulkar.
I mean, how can a list about the greatest batsmen be complete without including Sachin Tendulkar? Sachin is the holder of several titles, like scoring most international runs for India or scorer of the highest run in cricket history in general. No wonder, he is known as the God of cricketing. He was the only cricketer to have scored 100 centuries during his time as a professional cricketer. Therefore, no wonder he is one of the most respected athletes in the game.
| Format | Matches | Total Runs |
| Test | 200 | 15,921 |
| ODI | 463 | 18,426 |
| T20 (International) | 1 | 10 |
| T20 (League) | 78 | 2334 |
Honorable Mentions
I have included some of the best batters of our generation. However, the list is far from over. I have made a point to include some more names of those who have scored some of the highest runs in cricket. Even though they did not make it onto our initial list, they are still some of the best and most accomplished players of all time. With that note, let us dive right in.
Jacques Kallis
The first batsman on our honorable mentions list is the South African batsman Jacques Henry Kallis. Kallis was born in 1975 in Capetown, South Africa. Kallis had a knack for the game from a young age. Soon enough, he went on to become one of the biggest and most prominent names in the cricketing community.
Kallis is widely lauded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time. He is a phenomenal fielder and a shrewd swing bowler. However, he is also one of the most explosive run-makers of all Time. He is the only player who has taken a total of 250 wickets and has surpassed the 10,000 runs in both ODI and Test formats.
Rahul Dravid
Dravid was popularly lauded as the ‘Wall.’ Dravid has been eulogized for his gentlemanliness, his shrewd sense of the game, and his dependable nature. Dravid has played many roles in the Indian cricket landscape. He had to fill shoes and step up to become a captain for the Indian Cricket team.
However, his most notable contribution to the Indian cricketing team was his impeccable batting skills. Dravid has always been lauded for his technical skill with batting. He is a unique, by-the-books kind of player. Every shot he played was a calculated movement that gave him excellent results. As a result, he certainly deserved his own spit in this list of some of the greatest batsmen of all time.
Brain Lara
Nobody could ever manage to replace or take the spot that Brain Lara has created for himself. He is one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He was known to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time. Lara’s batting prowess is so popular that his name is often used to create batting equipment.
He is one of the only players who has managed to cross five centuries in a single match. His final score was 501 not out. Live Dravid, Lara leads his home country’s team as a captain. During his tenure as a captain, the West Indian team managed to win the ICC World Cup of 2004.
Sanath Jayasuriya
Last but not least, there is nobody other than Sanath Jayasuriya. Sanath Jayasuriya is one of the greatest and most accomplished batsmen of all time. In fact, he singlehandedly put the Sri Lankan team on the cricketing map.
He was primarily a batsman, but he also played as an orthodox spinner. Hence, he is one of the greatest and most accomplished Sri Lankan cricketers of all time. He is a true master of his craft.
Final thought!
So, there you go, a list of all the highest scorers of most runs in ODI or other formats of the game. These legends who made their mark in the cricketing world were not athletes or scorers of highest run in cricket; they transcended beyond that role and became an inspiration to millions. These are people who would be known for their game, even after they leave us. Therefore, next time you doubt yourself or the game you love, know that you, too, can be a legend if you work hard.
