3 fastest batters to 1000 ODI World Cup runs ft. Rohit Sharma
Indian men’s captain Rohit Sharma completed 1000 ODI World Cup runs on Wednesday, October 11, in match no.9 against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The 36-year-old became only the fourth Indian player to accomplish the feat in the history of the quadrennial event.
A total of 23 players have managed to breach the 1000-run mark at the World Cup and a few more are likely to join by the end of this edition. Legendary West Indies batter Sir Viv Richards was the first player to score 1000 runs in the World Cup in 1987.
3 quickest cricketers to reach 1000 runs in ODI World Cup
#1 Rohit Sharma and David Warner - 19
Rohit Sharma became the joint-fastest player to complete 1000 ODI World Cup runs in the current edition. He emulated contemporary David Warner’s tally of 19 WC innings. Warner achieved the feat during Australia’s 2023 World Cup opener against India in Chennai, where he made 41 runs off 52 balls.
Rohit and Warner led the run-scoring charts in the 2019 World Cup with both of them finishing on top. With 647 runs in 10 innings, Warner was just one run shy of Rohit’s total (648 runs in 9 innings).
#2 Sachin Tendulkar and AB de Villiers - 20
Sachin Tendulkar was the second batter in the history of the World Cup to complete 1000 runs in the World Cup in 1999 during India’s high-octane clash against Pakistan in Manchester. Tendulkar took just 20 innings to reach the landmark and it remained unchallenged for 24 years until David Warner surpassed it.
Former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers was the only other player to match the Indian maestro's accomplishment. He attained the feat during his 58-ball 77 against Pakistan in Auckland during the 2015 World Cup. De Villiers is the fastest South African player to hit 1,000 ODI World Cup runs.
#3 Viv Richards and Sourav Ganguly - 21
Sir Viv Richards happens to be the first-ever player to amass more than 1,000 runs in the World Cup. At the time, he was also the quickest batter to reach the milestone in his farewell tournament. Even though he didn’t play in the World Cup after 1987, the Windies batter retained the record for 12 years before Sachin Tendulkar surpassed it.
Just like Viv Richards, former India skipper Sourav Ganguly played 21 World Cup innings in his career. Interestingly, both iconic cricketers crossed 1000 runs in the prestigious tournament in their final innings. Richards made 67 against Pakistan in Karachi, while only seven runs were enough for Ganguly against Sri Lanka to become the second joint-fastest player to race to 1000 ODI World Cup runs in 2007.