One Day Internationals (ODIs) have become a major part of today’s cricketing world. It is unarguably one of the most entertaining and testing formats of the game. It needs a lot of dedication, discipline and fitness from the players to play 50 overs each across two innings in a day.
While a lot of players struggle to make their mark, a few players have managed to stamp their authority in the format. Over the years, we have seen phenomenal performances from Indian batters in ODIs, but below is an elite list of players who have managed to rack up an average of above 50 while playing 50 plus games for India.
MS Dhoni – 50.57 in 350 matches
MS Dhoni holds the fourth position on this list while bragging a fabulous average of 50.57 in 350 ODI matches. Dhoni is considered to be India’s most successful captain till date having inspired the men in blue to three ICC titles, including the 2011 World Cup under his tutelage. The CSK man has scored 10773 runs, including 73 half centuries and 10 centuries. His highest score was a brilliant knock of 183 against Sri Lanka in 2005.
KL Rahul – 51.67 in 93 matches
KL Rahul ranks third on this list with an average of 51.67 in 93 matches. The Karnataka born wicketkeeper batsman is one of India’s consistent and dependable players. Rahul has notched up 3359 runs, including 20 fifties and eight tons in just 10 years. Rahul’s first century also happened to be his best knock. He scored his first 100 in 2020 against New Zealand when he put together a score of 112 at the Bay Oval.
Shubman Gill – 56.34 in 60 matches
Shubman Gill is the youngest and the latest name in this list. Gill has achieved this feat in a very short time and is expected to get even better in the time to come. With 2930 runs in 60 matches, Gill holds the record for the second best ODI average among Indian batters. He has scored 17 half centuries and eight hundreds in the process while maintaining a strike rate of 98.85. His highest knock also came against the Black Caps in 2023 when he scored his first double hundred. His tally of 208 helped India get the better of the visitors.
Virat Kohli – 58.45 in 310 matches
The first position is held by none other than India’s iconic batsman Virat Kohli. The former Indian skipper needs no introduction and is the longest standing flagbearer of the game in the nation. Kohli holds the top spot with an average of 58.85, the best by any Indian batter till date and the third highest in the world. With 14673 ODI runs, Kohli is the second highest run getter in the format after Sachin Tendulkar. He has scored 77 fifties and 53 international hundreds till date with his highest score being a match winning 183 against Pakistan in 2012.
