Top 5 fastest players to 9000 runs as an opener in Men's ODIs ft. Rohit Sharma

Indian captain Rohit Sharma crossed 9,000 runs as an opener in Men's ODIs during the 2025 Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan on Sunday, February 23, in Dubai. He started well but unfortunately could not convert his knock into a big innings.

The Men In Blue bowled Pakistan out for 241 runs after being asked to field first in Dubai. Opening the batting, Rohit Sharma looked in good touch, taking the attack to the bowlers early on.

He scored 20 runs off 15 deliveries, hitting three fours and a six at a strike rate of 133.33. However, he was bowled by Shaheen Afridi and he could not carry on given the flow he was in.

Nonetheless, Rohit Sharma achieved the milestone of reaching 9,000 runs as an opener in Men's ODIs. He also became the fastest batter to do so, breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record.

On that note, let us take a look at the top five fastest players to 9000 ODI runs in Men's ODIs.

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#5 Adam Gilchrist

Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter and opener Adam Gilchrist is placed fifth on the list of fastest batters to 9,000 ODI runs. Gilchrist took 253 innings to achieve the feat.

The explosive Australian batter scored a total of 9,619 runs from 287 ODIs in his career at an average of 35.89 at a strike rate of 96.94 with 16 hundreds and 55 half-centuries to his name.

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#4 Chris Gayle

Former West Indies opener Chris Gayle took 246 innings to get to 9,000 runs in his ODI career. He is the fourth fastest batter to have achieved the landmark.

The 'Universe Boss' played 301 ODIs in his career and amassed 10,480 runs at an average of 37.38 and a strike rate of 87.19. Gayle smashed 25 centuries and 54 fifties in the one-day format, establishing himself among the best batters of all time in white-ball cricket.

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#3 Sourav Ganguly

This list also features former Indian captain and opener Sourav Ganguly. The left-handed batter took 231 innings to get to 9,000 ODI runs and takes the third spot. He is only behind two other Indian batters in this list.

Ganguly played 311 ODIs and piled on 11,363 runs at an average of 41.02 at a strike rate of 73.70. The 52-year-old slammed 22 tons and 72 half-centuries in the one-day format for India. He is among India's best white-ball batters even today.

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#2 Sachin Tendulkar

Former Indian batter and legend Sachin Tendulkar takes the second spot on this list. Sachin took 197 innings to get to 9,000 ODI runs and held the record for being the fastest batter to do so until Rohit Sharma broke his record.

Sachin played a massive 463 ODIs in his career and amassed 18,426 runs at an average of 44.83 and a strike rate of 86.23. The 51-year-old also scored 49 ODI hundreds along with 96 half-centuries, establishing himself among the greatest batters in the history of the game.

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#1 Rohit Sharma

Indian captain Rohit Sharma tops this list, breaking the record for the fastest player to 9,000 runs as an opener in Men's ODIs. He has taken only 181 innings to get to the landmark, leaving behind Sachin Tendulkar.

Rohit has now scored 11,049 runs from 270 ODIs in his career so far and has 32 hundreds to his name to go with 57 half-centuries. Although he could not score big against Pakistan in the 2025 Champions Trophy, Rohit achieved a massive milestone.