Top 5 current batsmen with the best average in ODI cricket 

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is currently going on in England and there have been plenty of standout run-scorers in the tournament. There are many statistical parameters that give us a basic idea about how good a batsman is and batting average is the parameter that best defines a him in ODI cricket.

Average reveals the consistency of a player and how frequently has scores big runs for his country. In ODI cricket, averages over 35 are considered passable, while over 40 is considered to be impressive. The batsmen who have a tendency to remain not out at the end of an innings generally have a higher average, as seen with MS Dhoni and Michael Bevan.

The players who are going to be mentioned in this list have played at least a 100 innings in ODI cricket. Before going on, it's only fair to mention some players who narrowly missed out from this list.

Honorable mentions: Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, David Warner, Faf du Plessis, and Quinton de Kock.

Let's take a look at the top 5 current batsmen with the best average in ODI cricket.

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#5 Rohit Sharma (India) - 49.19

Sri Lanka v India - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Rohit Sharma is arguably the best opener in wide ball cricket and if you didn't believe that until now, you definitely will after having watched his heroics in the ongoing World Cup in which he has already smashed 5 hundreds. He surpassed Kumar Sangakkara's record of the most hundreds in a single World Cup, and that too with at least one match to go.

"Hitman" has played a total of 214 ODI matches, scoring a total of 8657 runs at a strike rate of 88.68 with 27 hundreds and 42 half centuries. The 32-year-old has set the world alight in this year's tournament and he is slowly turning into another white ball legend produced by India.

#4 Hashim Amla (South Africa) - 49.47

Sri Lanka v South Africa - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

One of the very best openers to come out of South Africa, Hashim Amla has been a consistent figure in the green and there is no surprise in seeing him fourth on this list. He hasn't had the best of World Cups in England but that doesn't mean that his quality as an opener has diminished.

In his illustrious career, Hashim has played a total of 181 ODI matches, scoring 8113 runs at a strike rate of 88.39 with 37 half centuries and 27 hundreds. The 36-year-old is nearing the end of his career and he will surely be recognized as one of the greats of this generation.

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#3 MS Dhoni - 50.58 (India)

England v India - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

One of India's most loved sportspersons, MS Dhoni is third on this list and it is an achievement in itself. Every other player here belongs to the top order of their respective teams but Dhoni is a wicket-keeper batsman who generally bats in the lower middle-order. So, his average of above 50 is absolutely remarkable.

Dhoni has played a total of 349 ODI matches, scoring 10723 runs at a strike rate of 87.67 with 72 half centuries and 10 hundreds. One of the greatest ever finishers in white ball cricket, Dhoni is certainly the calmest captain and finisher the game has seen. At 38 years of age, he is still one of the fittest cricketers going around and only he knows how much cricket he has left in him.

#2 Joe Root - 51.33 (England)

England v West Indies - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Counted among one of the very best batsmen of this generation, Joe Root has been pivotal in England's revolution of ODI cricket. He has been the backbone of this attacking English batting line up. He has approved his credentials in this year's World Cup scoring over 500 runs and leading the host into the semis.

Root has played a total of 140 ODI matches, scoring 5800 runs at a strike rate of 87.53 with 33 half centuries and 16 hundreds. While Root isn't the most destructive batsman, he has found a way to be successful in white ball cricket and that is what champion players do.

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#1 Virat Kohli - 59.71 (India)

Sri Lanka v India - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

The third Indian on this list and probably the most expected one is the Indian skipper Virat Kohli. The run machine can found in almost every record list in ODI cricket, such has been his influence. He is arguably the best batsman to come out of this generation and definitely the best while chasing targets.

The 30-year-old has scored 11285 runs in 235 ODI matches at a strike rate of 93.04 with 41 centuries and 54 half centuries. He is currently way ahead from the second placed batsman on this list. With his stellar record and impact, Kohli will certainly go down as one of the all-time greats to ever grace the game.