Today, in this article, we will have a look at the top three batsmen of all-time in terms of averages. Some big names who have dominated one particular format could be excluded here because of the condition of minimum 15000 international runs. But the three names here have claim to be the greatest of not only their own generation, but of all-time.
Here are the top 3 batsmen with the highest averages in international cricket [minimum 15,000 international runs:
Virat Kohli – 25,385 runs at average of 53.44
Virat Kohli is hailed as arguably the greatest all-format batsman the game has seen. Seen as a prodigy, Kohli led India to the 2008 Under-19 World Cup victory and in the same year he made his ODI debut. T20I debut followed in 2010 and a year later he made his Test debut.
By the end of 2013, Kohli had cemented himself as the successor of Sachin Tendulkar and had taken the flight in his career by being a crucial part of India’s 2011 World Cup win and 2013 Champions Trophy win. He was also the only player RCB retained in 2011 and in a couple of years’ time he was leading RCB.
Such was his exploits in the coming years that the ICC named him the Player of the Decade in 2020. Even though Virat Kohli’s form took a slump after 2020, his overall international average continues to remain at 53.44 currently.
He has overall amassed 25385 international runs with 75 centuries across formats, the second-most international hundreds in the world.
Steve Smith – 15001 runs at 49.67
Even though Steve Smith has a lot less international runs than Virat Kohli, Smith has cemented himself as one of the greatest ODI and Test batters, with many hailing him as the greatest Test batsman of all time. And it is also not to forget, he was part of Australia’s 2021 T20 WC winning team. He won the 2015 ODI World Cup and recently became a World Test Champion with a century in the final against India.
He started out as a leg-spinner, but went on to make batting as his dominant aspect, Steve Smith’s Test average at the time of writing is 59.96 – among batters with a minimum 5000 Test runs, only Don Bradman has a higher average (99.94) than Smith. Such are his levels in the longest, toughest format of the game.
Joe Root – 18268 at 49.5
Another member of the current generation of star batters here is England superstar batter Joe Root. Perhaps the most talented batsman of his generation, Joe Root was destined for greatness as a batsman right from his early age. He made his Test debut at the age of 22 and thrived instantly in the format.
Root also made some notable scores in ODIs and T20Is, but it was in Tests that he made his marker as someone who could go past Alastair Cook and become England’s greatest Test batsman. He has amassed 18268 international runs at an average shade under 50, which is dragged below 50 by his T20I average of 35 while his Test and ODI averages are just a touch over 50.
