Most ODI Runs For India

Aakash Saini

Most ODI runs for India [Source: @BCCI/x]Most ODI runs for India [Source: @BCCI/x]

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India’s illustrious batting legacy boasts some of the finest players to have ever graced the game. With six representatives among the exclusive group of 15 cricketers worldwide to surpass 10,000 ODI runs, the nation’s dominance in the format remains unmatched and unparalleled.

Celebrating India’s rich ODI history, here we take a look at five of the leading run-makers from the country in 50-overs internationals.

5. Rahul Dravid – 10,889 runs

Rahul Dravid – 10,889 runs [Source: @ICC/x]Rahul Dravid – 10,889 runs [Source: @ICC/x]

Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid amassed 10,889 runs in his 344-match ODI career between 1996 and 2011. The legendary Indian batter averaged 39.16 in the format and recorded 95 scores of 50 or more, converting 12 of them into centuries. Dravid was also the leading run-getter of the 1999 Cricket World Cup in England and Wales, scoring 461 runs in just eight innings of the competition.

One of only 15 players in the world to tally more than 10,000 ODI runs, Dravid maintained some of his best batting averages in overseas conditions, including England (45.85), South Africa (44.28), and even Pakistan (50.30).

4. Rohit Sharma – 10,941* runs

Rohit Sharma – 10,941* runs [Source: @ICC/x]Rohit Sharma – 10,941* runs [Source: @ICC/x]

Active Indian skipper and legendary opening batter Rohit Sharma surged past his former head coach Rahul Dravid during a fiery top-order knock against England in Cuttack, just weeks before the launch of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in February 2025. Currently sitting on an illustrious tally of nearly 11,000 ODI runs, Sharma boasts a strike rate of 92.50, the second-highest among all players worldwide with more than 10,000 runs to their name.

The second-highest century-maker in ODI history with 31 tons, Sharma registered 12 of those hundreds across Australia and England combined. He also amassed over 1,000 runs in each of the two countries, achieving the feat at remarkable batting averages of 53.12 and 64.90, respectively.


3. Sourav Ganguly – 11,221 runs

Sourav Ganguly – 11,221 runs [Source: @ICC/x]Sourav Ganguly – 11,221 runs [Source: @ICC/x]

Arguably India’s greatest left-handed batter of all time, Sourav Ganguly amassed 11,363 runs in 300 ODI innings from his debut in 1992 until his retirement in 2007. Plundering 22 tons and 72 half-centuries along the way, Ganguly maintained a healthy batting average of 41.02 while holding a strike rate of 73.70.

The cricketer accumulated 5,104 of those runs as the captain of the Indian cricket team and also found considerable success under Rahul Dravid’s leadership in the twilight of his career, scoring 983 runs in just 23 innings at an astonishing average of nearly 50.

2. Virat Kohli – 13,906* runs

Virat Kohli – 13,906 runs [Source: @BCCI/x]Virat Kohli – 13,906 runs [Source: @BCCI/x]

In a nation enriched by some of the greatest cricketers of all time, Virat Kohli has carved out his own legacy ever since he burst onto the international scene as a 19-year-old in 2008. Among all players worldwide with more than 10,000 runs, let alone close to 14,000, no other cricketer in history boasts an average remotely close to Kohli’s 58.18. The legendary Indian batter has already amassed 13,906 runs and appears poised to extend his tally further at the age of 36.

Incidentally, India’s second-highest ODI run-scorer also ranks as the third-most prolific batter in the format’s history. During the 2023 World Cup, Kohli recorded his 50th ODI century, becoming the first player ever to achieve the milestone. The 2011 World Cup winner also holds the highest strike rate among players with over 10,000 runs, standing at an impressive 93.54.

1. Sachin Tendulkar – 18,426 runs

Sachin Tendulkar – 18,426 runs [Source: @ICC/x]Sachin Tendulkar – 18,426 runs [Source: @ICC/x]

Regarded as the most complete batter to have ever graced the game, Sachin Tendulkar transcended generations with his unparalleled mastery, and left an indelible mark on the sport through his sheer brilliance, longevity, and craftmanship. Apart from being the leader of India’s historic batting contingent, Tendulkar also leads the overall run-scoring race in ODIs by a landslide, considering his astonishing haul of 18,426 runs stands nearly 4,000 runs clear of the second-placed Kumar Sangakkara.