Virat Kohli surpasses Sourav Ganguly! List of Indians with most ODI appearances

Aakash Saini

India players with most ODI matches [Source: @ICC/x]India players with most ODI matches [Source: @ICC/x]

Longevity in ODI cricket is forged through sustained excellence, physical durability and with the ability of adapting across several rule changes. Gracing Team India jersey in the 50-overs format repeatedly over the years is not just a reflection of talent, but a testament to consistency and resilience.

Here, we take a look at five Indian players who have embodied that consistency and durability by playing the highest number of ODI matches.

5. Virat Kohli – 309* matches

Already retired from T20I and Test cricket, India’s all-format great Virat Kohli played his 309th ODI by taking field against New Zealand in Baroda on January 11, thus going past former skipper Sourav Ganguly in the process. One of the most prolific run-makers in the world, Kohli is already ODI cricket’s second most successful batter behind his idol Sachin Tendulkar, and the leading century-maker in history with 53 tons.

Apart from aggregating a record tally of over 14,000 ODI runs, Virat Kohli has also glittered his ODI legacy with a couple of Champions Trophy (2013 and 2025) wins and the World Cup triumph of 2011.

4. Mohammad Azharuddin – 334 matches

Former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin played 334 ODIs for his country between the years 1985 and 2000. Remarkably, he led the Indian team in 174 of those matches with a win percentage of 51.72. Apart from being an astute leader, Mohammad Azharuddin was also one of the greatest of the 50-overs game during his time, having tallied 9,378 runs at an average of nearly 37 and a strike rate of 74.02.

The prolific middle-order batter plundered seven tons and 58 half-centuries in his career to compound 65 scores of fifty or more.

3. Rahul Dravid – 340 matches

India’s Test giant Rahul Dravid was often considered an underachiever in ODIs. However, his body of work across years of 50-overs cricket tells a different story, marked by consistent run accumulation, frequent match-saving knocks and an enduring presence at the top level for India.

Making his ODI debut in 1996, Rahul Dravid went on to earn 340 caps for Team India, as he laced his career with 10,768 runs at an average of nearly 40. The middle-order run machine also briefly led the Indian team, first on an interim basis before taking up regular captaincy up until the 2007 ICC World Cup in the West Indies.

2. MS Dhoni – 347 matches

India’s most successful ODI captain and multi-World Cup winner MS Dhoni played 347 matches for his nation (350 overall) between the years 2004 and 2019. Despite boasting of an extensive ODI career, the legendary wicketkeeper-batter averaged a staggering 50.57 while spending the most of his time as a middle-order hitter.

Apart from accumulating over 10,000 ODI runs, MS Dhoni also led the Indian team to a drought-ending World Cup win in 2011, and justified the same triumph a couple of years later with a 2013 Champions Trophy win in England.

1. Sachin Tendulkar – 463 matches

With 463 caps, all-time great Sachin Tendulkar is also the most experienced ODI cricketer in the world. The legendary right-handed batter piled up 18,426 ODI runs in the process to lead the run-scoring race in the format by a landslide. Up until a couple of years ago, Sachin Tendulkar was also ODI cricket’s highest century-maker before Virat Kohli took over the rare mantle.

In an illustrious ODI career spanning over a couple of decades between the years 1989 and 2012, Tendulkar reached the pinnacle of his career by lifting the 2011 ODI World Cup in front of his home crowd.