Most Number Of Unbeaten Centuries In ODI Cricket: Every cricketer who picks up a bat or a ball aims to represent his/her country at the international level. And once that dream is achieved, the journey doesn’t stop, in fact, it begins with a desire to win matches for the country. Every batsman wants to hit the winning shot and experience that surreal feeling at least once in their career.
Not every player is fortunate enough to experience this feeling. However, there are some who make winning a habit and tend to play a major hand in their team’s success. It is a dream for any batter to score a century in a winning cause or to take his team to the finishing line. Today, we take a look at 3 of the world’s most consistent batsmen who have achieved this elusive feat of scoring unbeaten centuries most times for their nation in One-day Internationals.
Here’s a look at 3 players who have scored most unbeaten centuries in ODI cricket:
1. Virat Kohli – 15 times
The modern great of the current generation of batsmen, Virat Kohli is a no surprise as he leads this list with most – 15 unbeaten centuries for India in One-day internationals. Over the years, Kohli has mastered the art of chasing huge totals. He has often spoken about how his instincts take control over his shot-making depending upon the target required for the team.
Kohli has made it a habit of converting his scores of the 20s and 30s into centuries that eventually help his team cross the finishing line. If there’s ever a quintessential batsman to craft a chase, it is indeed Virat Kohli. In the last 7-8 years, Kohli is a usual suspect at the finishing line for India. He tends to remain unbeaten after scoring centuries without leaving it for others to finish the unfinished job.
2. Sachin Tendulkar – 15 times
Arguably the greatest batsmen of all time, Sachin Tendulkar was renowned for his ability to inflict a fear factor among the opposition bowlers with his presence on the field. Such was the impact of his batsmanship that Tendulkar was just unstoppable during his prime. He witnessed the best phase of his glorious playing career during the last 1990s. It saw a new curve to Sachin’s ODI career as he got more aggressive and didn’t shy away from attacking even the best in the world.
It is no doubt why he jointly holds this rare feat with his successor in Virat. There was a time when Sachin was recognized as half of India’s batting strength in ODIs. He was always India’s go-to man in situations that demanded character. Sachin delivered on most occasions with runs off his willow.
3. AB de Villiers – 12 times
One of the most fascinating batsmen of all-time, AB de Villiers was a treat to watch, more often than not. With his most innovative shots, he brought a new dimension to how batting was perceived earlier in the limited-overs format. With a talent unseen before, de Villiers made batting look ridiculously easy. Such was his clarity and control over his shots that he made bowlers look helpless on most occasions.
The 36-year old, even towards the end of his career, had the ability to dismantle oppositions at will. His ability to quickly convert his starts at the blink of an eye into three-figures was the innate quality that saw him head and shoulders above the rest of the batters around the world. The fact that he stayed not out 12 times while scoring centuries in ODIs for South Africa, recognizes his destructive ability with the bat.
