ROHIT SHARMA Rohit Sharma
7845 runs in 202 ODIs, 22x100s, 39x50s, Ave: 47.54, HS: 264, SR: 88.08
Sharma has revamped his game to become one of the most dangerous players in 50-over international format. He has 7845 runs in 202 ODIs with 22 centuries and has been also brilliant as a stand-in captain of the team, winning the Asia Cup in 2018 and beating Sri Lanka at home in limited overs series.
Sharma is unfortunate to play in the same playing XI which features Virat Kohli, who overshadows his accomplishments, but Rohit has managed to carve a niche out for himself amidst other openers.
YUVRAJ SINGH Yuvraj Singh
8701 runs & 111 wkts in 304 ODIs, 14x100s, 52x50s, Ave: 36.55, HS: 150, SR: 87.67
Regarded as one of the cleanest hitters of the ball, Yuvraj’s life story includes playing the 2011 World Cup with an illness that was later diagnosed as cancer of lungs and then beating the illness to make a brilliant comeback. He formed a formidable partnership with MS Dhoni for the middle order in the mid-2000s and though his career has stalled with the youngsters making their mark, Yuvraj will remain an all-time ODI great player.
MS DHONI (C&WK) MS Dhoni
10474 runs & 432 victims in 339 ODIs, 10x100s, 71x50s, Ave: 51.09, HS: 183*, SR: 87.65
All that can be written for India’s 2011 World Cup winning captain MS Dhoni has been written and even a movie was made on his life until him hitting that World Cup lifting six at Wankhede Stadium. MS Dhoni started off with a duck on his ODI debut, but then morphed as a brutal hitter of the ball and his helicopter shot has become a part of Dhoni’s folklore.
Dhoni is India’s only batsman to hit 350 international sixes and only batsman to make 10,000 runs while batting in the middle-lower order in ODIs. Apart from being the greatest finisher in ODIs, Dhoni has been an amazing wicket-keeper, being the only one to have more than 100 stumpings in the 50-over format.
MS Dhoni, as captain brought Indian team many accolades and his acute understanding of the game still helps Virat Kohli, who took over from him. His game has changed from that of being a brutal hitter of the ball to an accumulator of runs.
But whatever happens in the upcoming 2019 World Cup, MS Dhoni will go down in the history as an all-time ODI great wicketkeeper, finisher, and captain.
