Top 10 ODI Captains with Most Centuries

image-lmkkamobBabar Azam with Virat Kohli (Twitter)

The role of a captain in ODI cricket extends beyond on-field tactical decisions. It is a grand stage where leadership meets performance, and the captain’s own individual excellence becomes the ultimate testament of their mettle.

In a world where batters are predominantly chosen to captain their respective sides, these willow-wielders frequently rise to the occasion, inspiring their troops with majestic centuries at the helm.


Top 10 Captains with Most Centuries In ODI Format

Player
Matches as Captain
Runs
100s
Average
Ricky Ponting2308,4972242.91
Virat Kohli955,4492172.65
AB de Villiers1034,7961363.95
Sourav Ganguly1475,1041138.67
Sanath Jayasuriya1174,3641038.62
Eoin Morgan1264,403944.03
William Porterfield1143,394930.85
Graeme Smith1505,416838.96
Babar Azam342,050866.13
Kane Williamson883,827
749.70


1. Ricky Ponting

image-lmkkg9ttRicky Ponting (Twitter)

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting produced 73 fifty-plus scores with the bat during his leadership reign. Remarkably, he converted 22 of them into centuries, most of them contributing to some famous Australian wins, including his country’s triumph at the 2003 World Cup final.

As an ODI captain, he is second to none, accounting for the highest win count in the world and numerous ICC titles for his country. As a batter while donning the leadership hat, Ponting leads the race as well, holding most runs (8,497) and making most hundreds (22) during his 220-inning run as captain-cum-batter.


2. Virat Kohli

image-lmkklbdaVirat Kohli (Twitter)

Virat Kohli made a staggering 21 centuries as Indian team captain to fall just one triple-figure score short of Ricky Ponting. However, the Indian batting maverick did so while turning up in 129 innings lesser than Australia’s all-time great. Apart from his 21 tons, the cricketer plundered 27 additional fifty-plus scores as a leader.

Virat Kohli ended his stint while holding an almost Bradman-eque batting average of over 72 as Team India captain.


3. AB de Villiers

image-lmkkkw1zAB de Villiers (Twitter)

Batting dynamite AB de Villiers registered 13 of his overall 25 ODI hundreds while captaining the South African national side. The megastar batter scored nearly 5,000 runs as skipper at an unreal average of 63.95.

Some of AB de Villiers’ finest knocks with the bat as captain at the ODI stage remain the 149 and 162* when unleashed against a hapless West Indies attack.


4. Sourav Ganguly

image-lmkkkjboSourav Ganguly (Twitter)

Sourav Ganguly led Team India a staggering 147 times between 1999 and 2005. He turned up for his country with the bat in 143 innings, piling up over 5,000 runs at an average of nearly 40.

Ganguly, who continues to remain one of the highest run-maker and century-maker in ODI cricket, slapped 11 off his 22 hundreds while leading the Indian team.


5. Sanath Jayasuriya

image-lmkkk5eiSanath Jayasuriya (Twitter)

Former Sri Lankan skipper Sanath Jayasuriya had the tendency of demoralising the best of bowling attacks with his blade. Serving his nation as a captain or merely as an opening basher, the cricketer unleashed equal ferocity and aggression at the top of the order.

Jayasuriya minted 4,364 runs of his over 13,000 career runs as an ODI captain, all while blasting 10 splendid centuries. The batting maestro also registered 25 additional fifty-plus scores, and held a batting average of 38.62 during his leadership days.


6. Eoin Morgan

image-lmkkjszuEoin Morgan (Twitter)

One of England’s finest white-ball batters and greatest captains, Eoin Morgan spent more than half of his international career donning the leadership hat for his country. The elegant southpaw blasted nine of his 14 career centuries while doing so, ensuring most of them turned up in match-winning causes.

Morgan’s magnum opus as captain occurred during the 2019 World Cup, where he bludgeoned Afghanistan’s threatening spin attack to all corners with a 71-ball 148.


7. William Porterfield

image-lmkkjc5uWilliam Porterfield (Twitter)

Irish veteran Willliam Porterfield played 148 ODI matches for his country, and led them in 114 of those outings. The left-hander continues to remain one of Ireland’s finest batters to have graced the 50-overs internationals stage, having scored 4,343 runs at an average of nearly 31.

Porterfield also scored nine centuries as Ireland captain, and concluded his international career in 2022 with 11 ODI overall hundreds to his credit.


8. Graeme Smith

image-lmkkiss9Graeme Smith (Twitter)

Graeme Smith played 197 ODIs for South Africa, and ended up scoring 6,989 runs with 10 majestic centuries. Remarkably, the burly southpaw took field as a leader in 150 of those matches to mint 5,416 runs with eight triple-digit scores.

With an average of nearly 39 as captain, Smith reserved the best of his batting calibre while holding the high-profile job for his country.


9. Babar Azam

image-lmkkifyfBabar Azam (Twitter)

Modern great Babar Azam is still relatively newer to the game’s captaincy arena, having led Pakistan in only 34 matches until now since taking up the role in 2020. However, the batting maverick has already rose through the ranks to join a celebrated club of batsmen-cum-captains of ODI cricket.

In his short and unbeaten stint as captain, Babar has charted eight tons and 13 half-centuries. His batting average of 66.13 is second only behind Virat Kohli, and he keeps making giant strides in international cricket, both as a leader and as a batsman.


10. Kane Williamson

image-lmkki3d8Kane Williamson (Twitter)

New Zealand great Kane Williamson notched up seven centuries as the captain of his country. Overall, the cricketer has produced 13 triple-digit scores in his glittering ODI career, all while maintaining a healthy average of 47.83. Remarkably, Williamson’s batting average as captain rises even further, up to 49.70 after 88 matches.