10 Greatest ODI cricketers of all-time

1. Sachin Tendulkar

Who else could it be but the man who revolutionized the game with his masterclass! Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is hands down the greatest ODI cricketer of all time, sheerly for the change he brought with his approach. “He carried the burden of this country for 22 years and now its time we carried him,” said his eventual successor Virat Kohli when India lifted the World Cup in 2011 and that’s perhaps the finest way, to sum up, his contribution.

Straight batted sixes, uppercuts towards the third man, dancing down the track to fast bowlers – all these facets were unheard of before Sachin came into the picture. He was a demigod for the masses and one of the first cricketers who marketed himself into the business world banking on his mind-boggling following.

The only sportsperson to have ever won the “Bharat Ratna”, his contribution towards the sport getting a global outreach is phenomenal. Most runs, most centuries, most fifties, most appearances – name a batting record and its bound to be on his name. It also fitting that he became the first cricketer to score 200 in an innings in this format, a day which still is reminisced as one of the finest cricketing memories by everyone.

Career statistics

Matches – 463 | Runs scored – 18,426 | Batting Average – 44.83 | 100s/50s – 49/96 | Best score – 186 | Wickets taken – 154

Honourable mentions – Waqar Younis, Brett Lee, Brian Lara, Sourav Ganguly, Glenn McGrath, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Sir Vivian Richards, AB de Villiers

Many might have strong objections – either to the ranking or the names excluded – Do feel free to list out your names in the comments.

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