One Day Internationals has witnessed several great rivalries on the field. We have seen several legends face off against each other in ODI cricket.
However, some battles become famous and are etched in the minds of cricket fans. In the rivalries which go on for 10 years, there are several turnarounds in it.
On some occasions, batsmen have gotten the better of the bowlers. While on some occasions, bowlers have dominated the batsman. In this article, we will look at the list of Top 10 batsmen who have scored the most runs against a single bowler in ODI cricket:
Note: The data below only has the numbers recorded after the ball-by-ball commentary arrived in cricket in the early 2000s.
1) Mahela Jayawardene against Shahid Afridi (327 runs)
Mahela Jayawardene has the record for scoring the most runs against a single bowler in One Day International (ODIs). Jayawardene has scored 327 runs against Shahid Afridi, which is the most by any batsman against a single bowler in ODIs. Afridi managed to dismiss Jayawardene only on 5 occasions in 29 innings. Jayawardene has a strike rate of 73.64.
2) Virat Kohli against Kemar Roach (284 runs)
Virat Kohli is one of the greatest ODI batsmen of all time. He has dominated several top-quality bowlers in ODIs. For instance, Virat has scored 284 runs against Kemar Roach in ODIs. He has completely dominated the rivalry against Roach, who is famous for swinging the ball. Kohli has a brilliant batting average of 142 and a strike rate of 103 against Roach in ODIs.
Related: Which bowler has dismissed Virat Kohli most times in each format?
3) Paul Stirling against Mohammad Nabi (274 runs)
The next name on this list is Paul Stirling. The Irish opener has scored 274 runs against Afghanistan off-spinner Mohammad Nabi. Ireland and Afghanistan have been involved in several great rivalries in ODIs, and Stirling played a crucial role for Ireland in it. Stirling has a batting average of 54.80 and a strike rate of 95 against Nabi in ODIs.
4) Virender Sehwag against Kyle Mills (270 runs)
Virender Sehwag completely dominated the battle against New Zealand pacer Kyle Mills. Sehwag has scored 270 runs against Mills at an average of 54 and an impactful strike rate of 96 in ODIs. Sehwag was one of the high-impact players in ODI cricket. He is among a few cricketers with a strike rate of more than 100 in ODI cricket. Note: Sehwag’s fastest ODI century (which is India’s fastest century in an away ODI) came against New Zealand.
5) MS Dhoni against Muttiah Muralidharan (268 runs)
MS Dhoni has one of the greatest legacies in ODI cricket. Find out here, the records held by MSD in cricket. He was renowned for handling pressure situations well. Moreover, Dhoni played spin really well in ODIs. He even dominated Muttiah Muralidharan in ODI cricket. MS Dhoni has scored 268 runs against Muralidharan in ODIs. Muttiah Muralidharan managed to dismiss Dhoni just 2 times in ODI cricket. The former Indian captain even promoted himself in the final of ODI WC 2011 to tackle Muralidharan, which eventually helped India win the World Cup 2011.
6) Kumar Sangakkara against Zaheer Khan (266 runs)
Zaheer Khan was famous for making left-handed batsmen as his bunnies. But Kumar Sangakkara tackled Zaheer Khan brilliantly. Sangakkara has scored 266 runs against Zaheer Khan at a good average of 53.2 and a strike rate of 79. Zaheer Khan dismissed Sangakkara just 5 times in 33 innings in ODI Cricket. It was a great battle between the two lefties who were masters in their department.
7) Virat Kohli against Thisara Perera (260 runs)
Virat Kohli once again finds a place on this list. This time he dominated the battle against Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera. Kohli scored 260 runs against Perera in ODI cricket. Thisara dismissed Virat just 5 times in ODI. The Indian stalwart has an average of 52 and a strike rate of 100 against Perera. Virat has hit 25 fours and 3 sixes against Thisara in ODI.
8) Rahul Dravid against Abdul Razzaq (256 runs)
It’s never an easy task for a bowler to dismiss Rahul Dravid in cricket. He stood like a wall. Rahul Dravid had a great rivalry with Pakistani pacers. He loved playing against Pakistan. Rahul completely dominated the battle against Abdul Razzaq. Dravid scored 256 runs against Razzaq at a brilliant average of 128. Razzaq dismissed Dravid just 2 times in 24 innings. However, he struggled to get the wicket of Rahul Dravid.
9) Tillakaratne Dilshan against Zaheer Khan (249 runs)
The rivalry between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Zaheer Khan was great to watch in ODIs. It was an even battle where both of them got better off each other on an equal number of occasions. Dilshan scored 249 runs against Zaheer Khan at an average of 41.50 and a strike rate of 92.91. Both of them opened the Innings for their team in their respective departments in the powerplay.
10) Adam Gilchrist against Chaminda Vaas (249 runs)
Adam Gilchrist was famous for providing quick starts to Australia in the Powerplay in ODIs. He had various interesting battles with Sri Lankan left-handed pacer Chaminda Vaas. Gilchrist scored 249 runs against Vaas at an average of 41.50. Vaas dismissed Gilchrist on 6 occasions in 22 innings. Gilchrist hit 27 fours and 6 sixes against Vaas in ODI cricket.
Related: Which batsman has scored the most 150+ scores in ODI?
