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Before the turn of the century, there existed only one white-ball format in international cricket – the One-Day Internationals (ODIs). From 100 overs a day to The Hundred (referred to balls per innings), the past 20 years have seen the shorter formats progress rapidly to suit the pumping of moolahs.
While ODIs as a format have fallen behind in the popularity chart, to its credit, the World Cup in its format remains cricket’s most prized silverware. As a result, the teams have prioritized the 50-over format that has witnessed a plethora of rule changes to suit the demands.
Your sound response to the Ultimate Test XI of the 21st century led us to develop the ODI version for the same. The past 20-and-a-half years have seen five World Cups, six Champions Trophies and almost 2,600 ODIs. So the daunting task meant picking only 11 from the ocean.
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Once again, here’s an attempt made, with consistency, adaptability and team balance as the key parameters.
Best ODI XI of 21st Century (Stats since January 1, 2001)
#1 Rohit Sharma (India)
ODIs 227 | Runs 9,205 | HS 264 | Ave 48.96 | SR 88.9 | 100s 29 | 50s 43
Starting his career as a heavily talented middle-order batter, Rohit Sharma's career wears a peculiar look when he isn’t opening. In the 84 ODIs where he hasn’t opened, he has averaged below 32, striking at 78.
Opening the batting, Bruce Banner converts to the Hulk. No batter has been as prolific as Rohit as an opener in ODI history. Averaging over 57 at the top, he strikes in excess of 92 and has slammed 27 hundreds, including three double tons. Rohit’s 264 remains the highest ODI score and no other batsman has ever breached the 200-mark twice.
He remains the only cricketer to register five centuries in a single edition of a World Cup. Rohit’s continued success over a period of time keeps modern greats like England’s Jonny Bairstow and South Africa’s Hashim Amla out of this side.
#2 Sachin Tendulkar (India)
ODIs 200 | Runs 8,527 | HS 200* | Ave 48.17 | SR 86.4 | 100s 22 | 50s 46
Wickets 56 | BB 5/50 | Ave 40.85 | Econ 5.49
Sachin Tendulkar redefined an opener’s role in ODIs during 1990s. While some were excellent as run accumulators, some focused on batting throughout the innings and a few outstanding in pinch-hitting roles. Tendulkar could do all of it.
With the ever-changing demands of the ODI game, Tendulkar adapted and excelled, finding ways to score and dominate at the same time. He was the Player of the Tournament in the 2003 World Cup. Eight years later, nearing 38, he was the second-highest run-getter in the 2011 World Cup that India won. Tendulkar’s strike rate of 92 was higher than the other prolific scorers in the tournament like Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Jonathan Trott.
He averages almost 50 as an opener, and mind you, the 2000s, the era in which he played most of his ODIs, was a more difficult era to score than the 2010s. Some of his finest ODI knocks in the 21st century include the 98 against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup at Centurion, 117 not out in the 2008 CB Series final against Australia,163 retired hurt against New Zealand at Christchurch, 175 against Australia at Hyderabad and 200* against South Africa at Gwalior. Even at the last leg of his career, he blasted ODI’s maiden double ton.
Adding to his batting prowess, he can be trusted to roll his arms with his off-spin/leg-spin/medium pace. He has decent bowling numbers for someone whose role was to be the best batsman in the side. He may have to roll his arm with leg-spin in this team.
With the two Mumbaikars at the top, it's going to be a visual treat for the watchers.
Misses as openers: Jonny Bairstow (England), Jason Roy (England), Virender Sehwag (India), Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan), David Warner (Australia), Shikhar Dhawan (India), Hashim Amla (South Africa)
#3 Virat Kohli (India)
ODIs 254 | Runs 12,169 | HS 183 | Ave 59.07 | SR 93.2 | 100s 43 | 50s 62
Until this point, the team may appear more of an Indian all-time XI, but then Virat Kohli strolls into the no.3 spot in any all-time side. His batting average shoots to over 62 at no.3.
Batting greats like Kumar Sangakkara and Ricky Ponting are his closest in the competition for this spot, but Kohli has taken batting in ODIs to a different level. He has redefined the notions around run chases, absolutely controls the pace of an ODI innings and has exhibited consistency like no other batter in the format ever has.
Bursting into India’s ODI scene after leading the country’s Under-19 team triumph the World Cup in Malaysia in 2008, Kohli made sporadic appearances until the end of 2009 before cementing a place in the middle order through consistency.
Technically solid, but not at the level of a Tendulkar or Sanga, Kohli’s success mantra has been his unmatched run-hunger along with fitness levels that can test the best of the athletes in the world.
#4 AB de Villiers (South Africa and Africa XI)
ODIs 228 | Runs 9,577 | HS 176 | Ave 53.5 | SR 101.1 | 100s 25 | 50s 62
AB de Villiers is the first name you pen down when selecting an all-time ODI side. Bowl him a yorker at 100 miles; he can still loft you over long-on for a six. If he thinks it’s a risk because you have placed a long-on fielder, he can scoop the same ball over fine-leg for the same result.
The sport hasn’t seen a batter as skilled as De Villiers, someone capable of hitting it in any region of the ground against any bowler. An athlete par excellence, as a batter, the South African possesses the talent, temperament and grit. Knowing how to use the artilleries in his armory, he has emerged as an all-time great.
De Villiers holds the record for the fastest century in ODIs, which also remains the record in List A cricket. If required, he can keep wickets too. But in this illustrious team, he can gleefully show his acrobatics as a fielder.
#5 Andrew Flintoff (England and ICC World XI)
ODIs 121 | Runs 3,088 | HS 123 | Ave 33.56 | SR 89.2 | 100s 3 | 50s 16
Wickets 162 | BB 5/19 | Ave 23.9 | Econ 4.33 | SR 33 | 4w 6 | 5w 2
Where are Ben Stokes and Shahid Afridi? What about Jacques Kallis? No place for Shakib Al Hasan, Shane Watson or Shaun Pollock? Before the mind wanders further, let’s see why Andrew Flintoff justifies his selection. Taking a cut-off of 2,000 runs and 50 wickets, the English all-rounder has the best bowling average. To give you perspective, he even averages two points better than Pollock. With that economy rate and bowling average, Flintoff walks in as a regular bowler.
For someone who played his cricket in the early part of the 21st century, his strike rate of 89.2 is exceptional. Now here’s the climax: At no.5 (in 48 innings), Flintoff averages 46 with the bat, striking at more than 94. What else do you need in your no.5?
Flintoff’s average difference of 9.65 is the second-best in the list after Kallis’ 12.87. Kallis and Watson were better top-order batters, but Flintoff being a more useful bowler and handier batter down the order gets the nod.
During the times when England weren’t among the threats in ODIs, Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen kept the side on the white-ball map. No wonder both the players broke the bank in the IPL auction in 2009 when they fetched $1.55 million each, being record buys then.
Trivia: Andrew Flintoff was picked in the ICC World XI squad for the Super Series in Australia in 2005. In 2020, Wisden, through CricViz, named Flintoff the most valuable ODI player of the 21st century.
Misses as all-rounders: Jacques Kallis (South Africa), Shane Watson (Australia), Shaun Pollock (South Africa), Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
#6 MS Dhoni (India and Asia XI) – Captain and wicket-keeper
ODIs 350 | Runs 10,773 | HS 183* | Ave 50.57 | SR 87.6 | 100s 10 | 50s 73 | Dismissals 444
MS Dhoni leads this illustrious ODI side and is also the primary wicket-keeper. In his nine years of ODI captaincy between 2007 and 2016, Dhoni led India to a World Cup triumph in 2011 and a Champions Trophy win in 2013. Along the way, he was instrumental in nurturing several players who eventually became superstars for Indian cricket.
Arguably the most excellent captain in white-ball cricket, Dhoni’s legacy doesn’t stop with leadership. Debuting in 2004, he emerged as the new batting superstar in cricket – someone who could tonk the ball a fair distance, had a hunger for runs and had the calmness to finish games. Among the many superlatives attached to him, Dhoni is also regarded as the finest finisher, which helps his case to bat at o.6.
Trivia: No cricketer has more runs than Dhoni in ODIs at No.6. Dhoni leads the table with 4,164 runs at 47.31, followed by the legendary Michael Bevan with 3,006 runs at 56.71.
Dhoni’s glovework, especially against spinners, remains top-notch even after international retirement. In terms of ODI dismissals, his tally of 444 is only behind Kumar Sangakkara and Adam Gilchrist.
Misses as wicketkeeper-batsman: Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Adam Gilchrist (Australia), Quinton de Kock (South Africa)
#7 Jos Buttler (England)
ODIs 148 | Runs 3,872 | HS 150 | Ave 38.72 | SR 118.7 | 100s 9 | 50s 20 |
Dismissals 213
Heading into the 21st century, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid produced a spectacle at Taunton in the 1999 World Cup. The carnage and the record partnership was witnessed by a young Jos Buttler in the crowd, who in years to come would make such carnage a habit.
Ideally, Buttler should bat at no.6. With that amount of cushion early on, the England superstar wouldn’t mind batting a step down and finishing the innings.
England’s resurgence in white-ball cricket is attributed to Eoin Morgan’s leadership, but it wouldn’t have been possible without Buttler’s methods with the bat that transported English cricket to the demands of 2010s as they went on to set new benchmarks thereafter.
If Dhoni decides to take a break from crouching and doesn’t want to disturb AB de Villiers' fielding position, he can gleefully hand the gloves to Buttler, who’s a very safe 'keeper. In fact, England's final act in the 2019 World Cup final came courtesy of Buttler's role as wicket-keeper.
Trivia: If we take the sum of Jos Buttler’s scores in his nine ODI hundreds, the strike rate reads 151. No batter with over 1,000 runs as hundreds come close in terms of strike rate. AB de Villiers is next on the list with 131.5, followed by Jonny Bairstow (122.6) and Virender Sehwag (122.2).
Misses in middle-order: Babar Azam (Pakistan), Joe Root (England), Faf du Plessis (South Africa), Steve Smith (Australia), Ricky Ponting (India), Eoin Morgan (England), Ross Taylor (New Zealand), Mike Hussey (Australia), Glenn Maxwell (Australia)
#8 Shane Bond (New Zealand)
ODIs 82 | Wickets 147 | BB 6/19 | Ave 20.88 | Econ 4.28 | SR 29.2 | 4w 7 | 5w 4
Injuries were his greatest foe, or else Shane Bond would have aced the era as the finest quick bowler in the era of Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar. In a career marred by frequent breakdowns, Bond was able to clock 150 kmph with ease, swing the ball late and both ways, and could crush toes with the lethal yorkers. He had a habit of troubling the best batters and raised his game when he played against Australia.
At his peak, Ricky Ponting was an incredibly difficult batter to bowl at. During the same time, Bond cherished the challenge and dismissed the then Australian skipper seven times in ODIs. He also got Virender Sehwag out six times and Brian Lara thrice in international cricket.
The best pacer to emerge from New Zealand since Sir Richard Hadlee, it’s a shame that Bond’s career just lasted 120 international games. Years after retiring, he has mentored champion pacers like Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult.
The Bond impact keeps superstars like Mitchell Starc and Brett Lee out of the side.
#9 Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka, Asia XI and ICC World XI)
ODIs 200 | Wickets 323 | BB 5/9 | Ave 21.01 | Econ 3.83 | SR 32.8 | 4w 11 | 5w 6
Keeping the controversy over his bowling actions apart, Muttiah Muralitharan is a colossus of the sport. He leads the wicket-takers tables in ODIs. He’s also the most successful spinner of the 21st century. Those who played against him called him the most challenging bowler they faced.
Placed in fourth spot in the ICC's all-time ODI Rankings, Murali was rated the second-best ODI bowler in a statistical analysis done by Anantha Narayanan for ESPNCrincinfo.
The Sri Lankan legend is an easy pick as the lead spinner for this illustrious side.
#10 Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan)
ODIs 113 | Wickets 184 | BB 5/24 | Ave 22.72 | Econ 4.18 | SR 32.6 | 4w 6 | 5w 2
Had Afghan leggie Rashid Khan played more against the top sides, he would have been a certainty in this line-up. It eventually came down to a tussle between Imran Tahir and Saeed Ajmal for the second spinner’s role, with the latter clinching it by a slender margin.
Debuting after 30, Saeed Ajmal filled the vacuum created by Saqlain Mushtaq’s absence in Pakistani cricket. An off-spinner more in the Saqlain mold than Murali's, Ajmal’s strengths lay in his variations – primarily doosra and deception with flight and speed.
A suspected bowling-action checkered his progress, but at his peak, he troubled the best of the batters in the world. He performed against every side he played against and doesn’t averages over 27 against any team he played more than two games.
Misses as spinners: Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Imran Tahir (South Africa), Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka), Brad Hogg (Australia), Graeme Swann (England), Daniel Vettori (New Zealand)
#11 Glenn McGrath (Australia and ICC World XI)
ODIs 128 | Wickets 198 | BB 7/15 | Ave 20.52 | Econ 3.78 | SR 32.5 | 4w 3 | 5w 5
No bowler created as much impact as Glenn McGrath did in ODIs. A force behind Australia’s rise in the mid and the late 1990s, McGrath only got better with age. Neither did he bowl express pace like his Lee or Shoaib Akhtar, nor did he dart-in yorkers consistently like Waqar Younis or Wasim Akram. McGrath’s success with the white ball remained his line and length, the same formula that took him to the pinnacle of Test cricket. He hated giving away runs, and that’s a great habit in ODIs.
With or without McGrath, Australia won most of their games. But when McGrath played, the win-loss ratio plummeted further.
During McGrath’s time, men like Mark Waugh, Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden and their impact-man of the finales Adam Gilchrist would take center stage in the World Cups. Behind them operated McGrath with tremendous consistency. With 71 scalps, he remains the highest wicket-taker in World Cup history.
The spotlight eventually fell on him when at 37, he helped Australia win the 2007 World Cup and bagged the Player of the Tournament award. He became the first bowler to win this award in the World Cup.
Misses as pacers: Brett Lee (Australia), Trent Boult (New Zealand), Mitchell Starc (Australia), Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka), Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh), Nathan Bracken (Australia)
12th Man: Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
The team selected is an all right-handed team. Shakib Al Hasan, the 12th man, adds variety. A safe fielder, an accurate bowler and a versatile batter, Shakib is the finest cricketer to emerge out of Bangladesh. He was the best player from in the 2019 World Cup and was unfortunate not to win the Player of the Tournament title.
Averaging 38 with the bat and below 30 with the ball, Shakib, rated the second-most valuable ODI player of the 21st century by CricViz, beat Shahid Afridi to the place.
Ultimate ODI Team of the 21st Century: Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Andrew Flintoff, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Jos Buttler, Shane Bond, Muttiah Muralitharan, Saeed Ajmal, Glenn McGrath
12th man: Shakib Al Hasan
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