List of Players with Most ODI 100s

A century is one of the most recognised landmarks for a batter in one-day international cricket. Scoring three figures puts the team in a good position. Also, this is a test of whether a player can withstand batting through the innings and get to a good score for his team against different conditions and bowlers. Among the players with the most ODI 100s are some of the all-time greats of cricket such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ricky Ponting.

Here are the top 10 players to hit highest one-day centuries in cricket.

1. Virat Kohli (50 Hundreds)

Indian batter Virat Kohli has the highest one-day century in cricket. During the 2023 Cricket World Cup, he became the first batter in the world to hit 50 centuries in ODIs and 2nd after Sachin Tendulkar to hit 50 tons in a single international format.

Kohli made his ODI debut in 2008 against Sri Lanka and soon became a mainstay in the top order. He scored 183 while chasing 330 against Pakistan which is his best score in the format. 27 of his hundreds have come while batting second with 23 while setting a total for the opposition. His 10 centuries against Sri Lanka is the world record for most centuries against a single opposition.

2. Sachin Tendulkar (49 Hundreds)

One of the modern marvels of the game and known as the Little Master, Tendulkar had a long career spanning 24 years in which he featured in 463 ODIs and scored 49 hundreds. Tendulkar’s 49-hundred record was unbeaten for almost 11 years before it was broken by Kohli in 2023. Sachin made his debut as a 16-year-old against Pakistan in Pakistan as a middle-order batter. His career shifted towards the better once he was promoted up the order in the 90s.

He owned almost every single batting record and still has the most number of international runs in Tests and ODIs having scored 18426 runs in the shorter format. In 2010, he became the first male batter to score an ODI double hundred achieving the feat against South Africa in 147 deliveries. His last century came against Bangladesh in the 2012 Asia Cup, it was also his 100th international ton, also an unmatched world record.

3. Rohit Sharma (31 Hundreds)

With 31 hundreds Rohit Sharma acquires the third spot in the list of most ODI centuries making it 3 Indian batters with the highest centuries in one-day cricket. Having started his career in 2007 as a middle-order batter from Mumbai, Rohit also had a resurgence in his career once he shifted up the order regularly in 2013.

His successful form in the 2013 Champions Trophy continued in the coming years as he became the man with the most number of double tons (3) popularly known as the hitman. Rohit also has the highest individual ODI score to his name, a record made versus Sri Lanka in 2014 when he smashed 264 runs. With 582 sixes, the hitman has the most sixes across all three international formats and has scored the most number of centuries in World Cups with 7 tons to his name across three formats.

4. Ricky Ponting (30 Hundreds)

The successful Australian captain is recognised as one of the greatest batters to play the game. Making his debut in 1995 against South Africa, Ponting was part of the invincible Australian side and also led the team successfully to two World Cups being part of 3 championship campaigns himself. His knock of 140 against India in the 2003 final is considered one of the finest knocks in a World Cup final.

Ponting also held the record of scoring most centuries in a winning cause across all formats of international cricket with 55 tons but the feat was overhauled by Virat Kohli. In ODIs, 25 of Ponting’s 30 hundreds have come in a winning cause making him the team’s ultimate run-scoring machine and a match-winner.

5. Sanath Jayasuriya (28 Hundreds)

The Sri Lankan southpaw is regarded as one of the greatest hitters of the cricket ball. Starting off his career primarily as a bowler, Jayasuriya was promoted up the order in the era of pinch hitters and kept the opening position in the Sri Lankan team until his retirement from the game in 2011.

Jayasuriya made his ODI debut in 1989 against Australia in Melbourne, took almost 4 years to score his maiden fifty and eventually scored his first ODI hundred (140) against New Zealand in 1994 which was the highest limited overs score for a Sri Lankan batter. Only thrice have Sri Lanka lost a one-day game when Sanath Jayasuriya has scored over a hundred runs with the team getting across the line on 24 occasions.

6. Hashim Amla (27 Hundreds)

The classical South African top-order batter made his ODI debut as a 24-year-old against Bangladesh in 2008 and soon rose through the ranks to become the Proteas’ irreplaceable opener across formats.

Along with scoring the most number of centuries for South Africa in the format, Amla has the record of becoming the fastest man to get to 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000 and 7000 runs in the format. Besides the 2000 and 5000 run landmarks, the other three still remain to his name. 
2010 was a great year for Amla as he scored over 1000 runs at an average of 75.57 hitting 5 centuries, he repeated the feat in 2014 hitting 5 centuries as well. His highest score of 159 came on a big occasion in the 2015 World Cup fixture against Ireland.

7. AB de Villiers (25 Hundreds)

Known for his fast-paced batting and skill to play strokes all around the park, de Villiers is also known as Mr. 360°. He made his ODI debut against England in 2005 as an opener and scored his first century against West Indies in 2007 in his first ODI World Cup. West Indies is his favorite opposition to play against as he scored the fastest-ever ODI ton against the same opposition in 2015. 

AB de Villiers is also the third fastest player to score 7000 and 8000 ODI runs and the 2nd fastest after Kohli to score 9000 runs. He has the most number of runs in World Cups and joint most centuries in the tournament for South Africa with 4 tons and captained the side in the 2015 tournament where the Proteas crashed out to New Zealand in the semifinals.

8. Chris Gayle (25 Hundreds)

No one comes close to the Universe Boss in terms of destructive batting in any format of the game. The Jamaican opening batter made his ODI debut against India in 1999 and became only the 5th West Indies batter to score more than 150 in an ODI innings as he smashed 152 against Kenya as his maiden century in 2001.

During the 2015 World Cup, Gayle became the first man in the history of the tournament to hit a double century as he unleashed his wrath against Zimbabwe scoring the fastest double ton of that time; off 138 balls. He also became the first player to have a triple century in Tests, a double century in ODIs and a century in T20 internationals.

9. Kumar Sangakkara (25 Hundreds)

Another left-handed classical batter graces the list with Kumar Sangakkara becoming one of Sri Lanka’s finest batters to ever hold the bat. He made his debut against Pakistan in 2000 as a 22-year-old. He became the 35th batter to score consecutive centuries as he hit 2 tons in 3 days against Pakistan and Kenya in a quadrangular tournament in 2003; his first 2 tons in the format.

His 14234 runs in ODIs are only second to Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 18426 and is the 2nd fastest to 14000 runs behind Tendulkar. Sangakkara is the only batter in the world to score 4 hundreds in consecutive matches achieving the feat during the 2015 World Cup hitting centuries against Bangladesh, England, Australia and Scotland.