Top 10 Indian Batters With Most ODI Runs Against Pakistan

Rohit Sharma with Virat Kohli at the 2019 World Cup (Twitter)

Few rivalries in world cricket ignite as much passion and emotions as that of an India vs Pakistan one. Whenever these two titans collide on the field, they draw scores of spectators inside the stadium and transcend boundaries on a global scale.

As one can expect, the competing players themselves feel the heat of unreal expectations from their respective fans, and yet, time-and-again a certain group of elite individuals have consistently defied odds across intense India vs Pakistan clashes.

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Here at OneCricket, we take a look at 10 such Indian batters who have thrived the most throughout their country’s storied rivalry with Pakistan in ODI cricket.

1. Sachin Tendulkar (2,526 runs)

Sachin Tendulkar (AP)

Even though Sachin Tendulkar has scaled nearly every major batting record in ODIs, the ‘Master Blaster’ seemed to reserve his best against India’s biggest arch-rivals. Apart from leading India’s, as well as all-time run-scoring charts, the cricketer also stands at the top of his country’s batting pantheon against Pakistan, having amassed 2,526 runs in 67 innings.

Sachin Tendulkar left five tons and 16 half-centuries against Pakistan in his wake by the time of his retirement, with one of his finest ODI knocks being the match-winning 98 at the 2003 World Cup, all while countering the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.

2. Rahul Dravid (1,899 runs)

Rahul Dravid (Twitter)

The ‘Wall of Indian Cricket’, Rahul Dravid also frequently became a thorn to Pakistan’s star-studded bowling attacks. The former cricketer, and current Indian coach piled up 1,899 runs across his 58 meetings against Pakistan.

His composed 44* against the ‘Men in Green’ orchestrated a clean run-chase for India at the 2003 World Cup, and his 99 against them a few months later set the tone of India’s historic ODI series win in Pakistan.

3. Mohammad Azharuddin (1,657 runs)

Mohammad Azharuddin (Twitter)

Former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin went up against Pakistan 64 times between the years 1985 and 2000. The period also signified the height of India vs Pakistan ODI rivalry as the two frequently came across each other’s paths, especially in UAE tri-series, Asia Cups and bilateral competitions.

Azharuddin set the stage on fire with his bat a number of times against Pakistan, as he scored 1,657 runs in 59 innings with many match-winning efforts to his name.

4. Sourav Ganguly (1,652 runs)

Sourav Ganguly (Twitter)

Sourav Ganguly plundered over 1,600 runs in his ODI career against Pakistan between 1996 and 2007. He played five of those matches during India’s celebrated tour to the country in 2004, where his leadership and handy runs paved way for a historic ODI series win on the other side of the border for his country.

Ganguly scored his runs at a healthy strike-rate of above 70, and often encountered Shoaib Akhtar at the height of the speedster’s career.

5. Yuvraj Singh ( 1,360 runs)

Yuvraj Singh with MS Dhoni (Twitter)

Yuvraj Singh batted Pakistan out of the game a number of times during his storied ODI career. Scoring runs with a strike-rate even better than that of Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni against Pakistan, the dynamic sinistral force piled up 1,360 runs at an average of 42.50.

Singh’s brute force with the bat was quite evident during India’s 2006 tour of Pakistan, where he scorched the hosts’ bowlers throughout five ODIs with 344 runs. Holding an unreal 172 average in the series, the left-hander charted two match-winning fifties and a ton to engineer India’s 4-1 win.

6. MS Dhoni (1,231 runs)

MS Dhoni (Twitter)

MS Dhoni’s average of 53.52 against Pakistan marks the highest among all Indian batters with more than 1,000 runs to their name. The former Indian captain registered one of his best career hundreds against them, when he clubbed 113* to lift his side from 29-5 to 227-6 in a 2012 ODI.

Dhoni also orchestrated spectacular run-chases for India in many tussles against Pakistan, both home and away, and finished his career with 1,231 runs to his name.

7. Virender Sehwag (1,071 runs)

Virender Sehwag (AP)

Virender Sehwag demolished Pakistani bowling attacks with utmost ease, even at times when he suffered a slump of form in his batting. The dashing Indian opener demoralised the ‘Men in Green’ at the 2011 World Cup semi-final, and scored a breathtaking 119 against them at the 2008 Asia Cup.

In all, Sehwag scored 1,071 runs in 31 innings, with two centuries and six fifties to his name. He also holds the highest strike-rate against Pakistan among all Indian batsmen with at least 500 runs.

8. Ajay Jadeja (892 runs)

Ajay Jadeja (Twitter)

Ajay Jadeja’s street-smart batsmanship in the lower-order stole away many matches against Pakistan for India. Even though he charted three sparkling half-centuries across the rivalry, Jadeja’s best effort against them remains his 25-ball 45 from the 1996 World Cup quarter-final.

The dynamic cricketer, in his 36 innings, finished with 892 runs at an average of over 28.

9. Navjot Singh Sidhu (862 runs)

Navjot Singh Sidhu (Twitter)

Navjot Singh Sidhu blasted 862 runs vs Pakistan in 25 ODI appearances. Playing all his matches against them between the years 1988 and 1998, his strike-rate of nearly 70 while countering pace legends Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis differentiates him from the rest.

Sidhu, at an average of nearly 35, also registered two centuries and five fifties in his career.

10. Rohit Sharma (720 runs)

Rohit Sharma (AP)

Indian captain Rohit Sharma registered successive match-winning tons against Pakistan at the 2018 Asia Cup and the subsequent 2019 World Cup. The two innings shot up his tally to 720 runs, all while maintaining an average of 51.42.

Apart from the twin centuries, Sharma also hammered six separate fifty-plus scores against them in 16 innings.

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