5 Indian cricketers with the highest batting average in ODIs
Indian cricketers have excelled in ODI cricket over the last few decades. The Indian team has been quite dominant in the 50-over format, recording bilateral series wins at home as well as away from home. The Men in Blue are also among the few nations to have won both the Cricket World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy in the 50-over format.
One of the main reasons behind the success of the Indian cricketers in ODIs is that the batters of the team aim to bat long. India's batters know how to build a big innings and take the team's total to the next level.
If a batter scores big consistently, it reflects on his batting average. In this listicle, we will look at the top five Indian cricketers with the best batting average in ODIs.
(Please Note: Indian cricketers who have scored more than 1,000 runs are only considered for this list.)
#5 Ambati Rayudu - 47.05
Ambati Rayudu was an integral part of the Indian ODI team in the second half of the 2010s. He played 50 innings for the Men in Blue, aggregating 1,694 runs at a fantastic average of 47.05.
Rayudu's strike rate was around 80, while he remained not out in 14 innings. The right-handed batter registered three centuries and 14 hundreds in the ODI format.
#4 Rohit Sharma - 48.91
Indian captain Rohit Sharma holds the fourth position on this list. The right-handed opener made his ODI debut back in 2007. He batted in the middle-order during the initial phase of his career before transitioning into an opening batter.
So far, Rohit has played 234 innings, aggregating 9,782 runs at an average of 48.91. The Indian captain has scored 30 hundreds and 48 fifties to his name.
#3 MS Dhoni - 50.23
Former Indian captain MS Dhoni ended his ODI career with an incredible batting average of 50.23. Reckoned by many as the best finisher in cricket history, Dhoni scored 10,599 runs in 294 innings at an average of more than 50.
Dhoni recorded nine centuries and 73 fifties in his legendary ODI career. He only recorded 10 ducks in 294 innings.
#2 Virat Kohli - 57.69
Current Indian batter Virat Kohli has been one of the most consistent players in ODI cricket history. Kohli has played 271 ODI matches in his career, scoring 12,809 runs at a phenomenal batting average of 57.69.
Kohli has registered 46 centuries and 64 half-centuries in his career so far. He is four centuries away from breaking Sachin Tendulkar's world record for the most ODI hundreds.
#1 Shubman Gill - 73.76
Shubman Gill currently has the best batting average among Indian cricketers. The right-handed batter has played 21 innings so far, aggregating 1,204 runs at an average of 73.76.
Gill has not played too many matches yet, but he already has four centuries and five fifties to his name. The young Indian star also has a double hundred in ODI cricket.
It will be interesting to see if he can maintain his extraordinary consistency.