5 fastest players to 10000 ODI runs

10000 career runs in One Day Internationals is not an easy feat for any cricketer. It takes consistency, fitness, perseverance, years of hard work, and excellent skills to get there. Only a handful of cricketers have achieved it in ODIs and the list has some legendary names on it.

Players like Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Jacques Kallis, Sourav Ganguly, Brian Lara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, and Rahul Dravid have acheived it until yesterday.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former Indian captain, becomes the 12th player to join the elite list on Saturday when he scored 37 against England in the second ODI at Lord's. Virat Kohli is only 292 runs short of the 10000 milestone and will soon get there. He is all set to become the fastest player to 10000 runs when he eventually gets there.

Without much ado, let's take a look at the five fastest players to 10000 ODI runs.

---

#5 Jacques Kallis, 272 innings

The South African is one of the greatest all-rounders to have ever played the game. Jacques Kallis excelled in all three formats of the game and scored 10000 runs in Tests and One Day Internationals.

A technically gifted cricketer with a penchant for big scores, Kallis is only the third non-Asian cricketer to score 10000 runs in ODI cricket. He has scored 11579 runs in ODI cricket from 328 games at an excellent average of 44.36.

Kallis reached 10000 ODI runs in 272 innings and became the fourth fastest cricketer to do it. He has scored 17 hundreds and 86 fifties in his career at a strike rate of 72.89. Kallis has also picked up 273 wickets.

#4 Ricky Ponting, 266 innings

One of the greatest modern-day batsmen

Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Ricky Ponting has led Australia to victory at the 2003 and 2007 Cricket World Cups. Ricky Ponting has represented Australia in 375 One Day Internationals and scored 13704 runs at an average of 42.03.

His stunning career included 30 hundreds and 82 fifties. He is the highest run-getter for Australia in ODI cricket and arguably the most successful ODI player ever with 262 wins in his illustrious career.

The Australian reached 10000 runs in his 266th ODI innings. He reached the landmark in the 2007 World Cup against South Africa at St Kitts. His hundred in the finals of the 2003 World Cup is rated as one of the finest ODI innings of all-time.

#3 Sourav Ganguly, 263 innings

The man who revolutionized cricket in India

Sourav Ganguly is regarded as one of the greatest captains in ODI history. He revolutionized Indian cricket with his aggressive approach and astute leadership. The talented batsman from Bengal is one is the finest left-hand batsmen of all-time.

Sourav Ganguly made his One Day International debut in 1992 and went on to play 311 games for India. He has scored 11363 runs at an average of 41.02 and reached 10000 runs in 263 innings. He achieved the feat against Sri Lanka at Dambulla in 2005.

Ganguly has scored 22 hundreds and 72 fifties in his ODI career. He has played some stunning knocks overseas and formed a ruthless opening partnership with Sachin Tendulkar. His elegant stroke play on the off earned him the nickname, ‘God of the off-side’.

#2 Sachin Tendulkar, 259 innings

The Master Blaster

One of the greatest batsmen of all-time, if not the greatest, Sachin Tendulkar owns most of the records in One Day Internationals. With 463 games, Sachin has played the most number of matches in ODI history.

He is the highest run-getter in ODIs with an astronomical 18426 runs. Sachin Tendulkar is the only batsman in international cricket to score 100 centuries (49 in ODIs and 51 in Tests) and also the first batsman to score 200 runs in ODI cricket.

He reached 10,000 ODI runs against Australia at Indore in 2001. He became the fastest player to reach the landmark and it took him only 259 innings. Sachin has also scored 15921 runs in Test matches. A true Legend.

#1 Virat Kohli, 213 innings

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli became the fastest ever to reach the milestone of 10,000 ODI runs, adding another feather to his bulging cap of records in international cricket. The 29-year-old achieved the feat during the second ODI between India and West Indies at Visakhapatnam, the same opposition against whom he had gone past the 5000 ODI runs back in 2013.

He became the fifth Indian after Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni to complete 10,000 ODI runs, getting to the mark in his 213th game. Overall, he is the 13th batsman to join the list.

Having made his debut in August 2008, Kohli also became the quickest to get to his the mark duration wise, surpassing Rahul Dravid, who got it in 10 years and 317 days.