Top 5 openers with most runs in ODI cricket

Sachin Tendulkar is at the top of the list of openers with most runs in ODI cricket.

An opening batter holds a lot of importance in cricket. He is the one who faces the new ball when the conditions are more challenging. That is why it is never easy to be an opener.

An ODI opener has the challenge to score and utilise the powerplay, making sure that his team gets a goof start. Over the years, there have been very few batters who have found consistent success as an ODI opener.

This article will also present the elite list of some of the game’s most successful ODI openers. Here we will talk about the top five run-scorers as openers in ODI cricket.

Top five openers with most runs in ODI cricket

5. Adam Gilchrist (Australia) – 9200 runs

Former Australian dasher Adam Gilchrist was probably the best opening batter for his country. His approach to the game was clear: to put the opposition under pressure, which achieved him and his team a lot of success. Gilchrist played 260 ODIs as an opener and scored 9200 runs at an average of 36.50 with 16 centuries and 53 half-centuries.

4. Rohit Sharma (India) – 9219 runs

Former Indian captain Rohit Sharma is probably the best ODI opener that the game has seen in the last decade or so. Starting his career as a middle-order, Rohit had the breakthrough of this career, when he was promoted to open in 2013, when things changed completely for him.

He has so far played 188 games as an opener and has scored 9219 runs at an average of 54.55 with 30 centuries and 46 half-centuries. Rohit has three double centuries as an opener, and his average is the best ever for an ODI opener with 3000 or more runs.

3. Chris Gayle (West Indies) – 10179 runs

Famously known as “Universe Boss,” Chris Gayle was one of the most feared openers that the game has ever seen. His six-hitting ability was one of the best. Gayle had a successful international career, and he was the one that every new-ball bowler feared. Gayle featured in 280 ODIs as an opener and scored 10179 runs at an average of 39.45 with 25 centuries and 53 half-centuries.

2. Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) – 12740

Scoring quick runs against the new ball in the powerplay is the need of the hour in modern-day cricket. But, Sanath Jayasuriya used to bat like this in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He had a legendary career for Sri Lanka and scored second-most runs as opener in ODI cricket. The Southpaw played 388 ODIs (most as opener) and scored 12740 runs at an average of 34.61 with 28 centuries and 66 half-centuries.

1. Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 15310 runs

The “Master Blaster,” Sachin Tendulkar, has the most runs, most centuries, and most fifties in the history of ODI cricket. He also sits at top of this elite list. Sachin made his debut in 1989 as a middle-order batter. He was promoted as an opener in 1994, and things changed from there. Sachin featured in 344 ODIs as an opener, scoring 15310 runs at an average of 48.29 with 45 centuries and 75 half-centuries.

(All stats updated till 23rd October, 2025)

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