Top 10 chasers in world cricket in recent years

When ODI cricket first began, most of the teams preferred to win the toss, bat first and put runs on the board. However, with the passage of time, more and more captains have opted to chase after winning the toss. One of the reasons for that could be the presence of a few individuals in their team who seem to be know how to track down totals without succumbing to pressure.Here’s a look at 10 of the top chasers in limited-overs cricket in recent times:(Note: Only cricketers who have played recently have been considered for the below list)

#10 Angelo Mathews

Amgelo Mathews

The Sri Lankan ODI skipper is fast becoming the most reliable middle-order batsman for his country. He has a calm demeanour and has got the ability to rally the tail around him. One of his best performances while chasing came in 2012 against Pakistan in Colombo, where he helped the Lankans chase down a target of 247 almost single-handedly, scoring 80 not out off 76 balls.

#9 Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan

One of the few innovative players in the England batting line-up, Eoin Morgan has played quite a few important innings for England with the bat while chasing. His innings of 103 not out against Australia at Southampton in 2010 helped England chase down Australia's competitive score of 268 with 24 balls to spare. He is also one of the few players in the world who plays the reverse sweep with great effect and gets a lot of his runs with the shot.

#8 Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq

A key cog in Pakistan's middle order, Misbah Ul-Haq has played a few important innings for Pakistanwhile chasing a target. One of them came in the Asia Cup game in 2012 where he helped his side chase a target of 188 after coming into bat at 33 for 3. He has a calm approach to the game and has the ability to change gears at will, enabling him tobring his side back into the match from the most precarious of situations.

#7 Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara

One of the modern-day greats, Kumar Sangakkara has played many a memorable innings with the bat for Sri Lanka in recent years. He scored an unbeaten 134 off 135 balls against England at the Oval in the Champions Trophy last year and helped his side chase down a target of 294 with 17 balls to spare in the process.

Earlier this year, he scored a crucial 103 against India in the Asia Cup at Fatullah that helped his side chase down the target of 265.

#6 James Faulkner

James Faulkner

The Tasmanian is soon emerging as one of the most reliable lower-order batsmen in world cricket. He showed his capabilities with the bat last year in Mohali when he smashed a match-winning 64 not out off 39 balls to help Australia pull off a great win versus India. Earlier this year, he showed that his performance over there wasn't a flash in the pan when he smashed a brilliant 69 of 47 balls against England at Brisbane to script an epic one-wicket win for Australia.

#5 Tillakaratne Dilshan

The Sri Lankan cricketer's career has certainly undergone a huge transformation after he started opening the batting for his side in 50-over cricket. He scored a match-winning 108 not out in Sri Lanka's quarter-final win over England in Colombo and followed it up with a 73 against New Zealand in the semi-final, which helped his side reach the final of the World Cup in 2011.

In the CB series of 2012, he helped the Lankans level the best-of-three finals by scoring 106 off 119 balls against Australia at Adelaide.

#4 Suresh Raina

There is no denying that Suresh Raina is a terrific limited-overs cricketer. His Test record may not be the greatest, but that cannot take anything away from his exploits with the bat in the 50-over format, where he has played several crucial innings with the bat down the order.

His most critical effort came in the 2011 World cup quarter-final against Australia in Ahmadabad where he scored 34 very important runs and stitched a match-winning 74 run stand with Yuvraj Singh to help India progress to the final.

Another performance, that is much forgotten among the public, is the unbeaten 24-ball 40 that he scored at Hobart during India's amazing chase of 320 against Sri Lanka in the CB Series in 2012.

#3 Mahendra Singh Dhoni

The "Captain Cool" of Indian cricket, MS Dhoni is a specialist when it comes to close chases. The man from Ranchi never seems to panic under pressure and has won India many a game from tough positions, and no game is ever finished until he is at the crease.

His most memorable performance came in the final of the 2011 World Cup where he played a captain's knock, scoring 91 off 79 balls and guiding India to a historic World Cup triumph in Mumbai.

Another terrific performance came in 2012 at Adelaide where he scored an unbeaten 44 and helped his side a chase down Australia's score of 270 in the final over of the innings.

#2 AB de Villiers

One of the best cricketers in the world right now, AB de Villiers' exploits with the bat while chasing have helped his side win several games in the last few years. Chasing Australia's huge score of 327 in Harare earlier this year, the 30-year-old played a brilliant innings of 136 not out off 106 balls to help his side chase the target with 20 balls to spare.

He played another crucial knock versus England in 2012, scoring an unbeaten 75 off 79 balls to help the Proteas chase down England's total of 182 and level the 5-match ODI series 2-2. His ability to play the long innings coupled with his innovative stroke-play have meant that opposition teams can never breathe a sigh of relief until he is out there in the middle.

#1 Virat Kohli

Very few would disagree that the man from Delhi is the best chaser in world cricket at the moment. No matter how enormous the target is, the 26-year-old seems to be able to chase it down and that too with consummate ease. One of his best efforts came in the CB series against Sri Lanka in 2012 where he smashed a brilliant 133 off 86 balls to help India achieve the target within 40 overs and thereby win with a bonus point. A month later, in another crunch encounter against Pakistan, Kohli scored an outstanding 183 and helped India chase down Pakistan's score of 330.

He gave a taste of his temperament during chases once again last year, when he smashed a 52-ball 100 versus Australia in Jaipur, where India was chasing 360 for a win. In the same series, he proved that his Jaipur effort wasn't a one-off when he smashed yet another unbeaten 115 in Nagpur to help India chase down a score of more than 350 for the second time in the series.