Throughout ODI history, the Indian team has had several consistent performers. Some of them have won several series for the team in their career. We will now look at the Indian players with the most ‘player of the series’ awards in ODIs.
10. Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan has been an ODI stalwart for India. He is currently one of the best active openers in ODI cricket and one of the greatest ODI batsmen of all time for India. Dhawan scored the most runs in the 2013 Champions Trophy, which made a heavy impact. He scored two centuries and ended up becoming the player of the series. Another notable series in which he won the award was the 2018 Asia Cup. Shikhar Dhawan has won the ’player of the series’ award in ODIs three times.
9. Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar was not only a test stalwart but was also a key ODI player for the Indian team during the early days. One crucial series in which Gavaskar won the ‘player of the series’ award was the Austral-Asia Cup in 1986. Sunil Gavaskar has won the ’player of the series’ award in ODIs three times.
8. Navjot Singh Sidhu
Navjot Singh Sidhu was an opener for India. He was known to have an exciting style of batting. His initial few years with the team were excellent, as he had a bright start to his career. Sidhu was the ‘player of the series’ in the 1988 and 1995 Asia Cups. Navjot Singh Sidhu has won the ’player of the series’ award in ODIs four times.
7. Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri was a spin-bowling all-rounder. He started as a lower-order hitter and slowly transitioned into a terrific top-order batsman. Shastri’s standout performance was in the World Championship of Cricket in Australia in 1985. He was the ‘player of the series’ in the tournament. Ravi Shastri has won the ’player of the series’ award in ODIs four times.
6. Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is undoubtedly one of the greatest ODI batsmen currently. Arguably, he has been the best India ODI opener of all time, next to Sachin Tendulkar. Sharma won the ‘player of the series’ award on multiple occasions. The most significant one was the Australia tour of India in 2013. He scored his maiden ODI double hundred in the final match of that series. Rohit Sharma has won the ’player of the series’ award in ODIs five times.
5. Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly was an opener for the Indian ODI side. He was also the captain of the team. He had a solid off-side play. His opening partnerships with Sachin Tendulkar were very successful. He was a vital part of the Indian batting line-up in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Sourav Ganguly has won the ’player of the series’ award in ODIs six times.
4. MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni played a challenging role as a lower-order finisher in ODIs. However, he excelled at it. He is one of the greatest ODI players of all time across all countries. His longevity in ODIs was terrific. He led the team to series victories overseas, winning the ‘player of the series’ award as late as 2019 when he was well above 37 years old. MS Dhoni has won the ’player of the series’ award in ODIs six times.
3. Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh was an excellent middle-order batsman for India. His useful left-arm spin option provided the Indian team with a rare balance. The peak moment of his ODI career was when he scored 362 runs and took 15 wickets in the 2011 World Cup. He was the ‘player of the series’ in the tournament. Yuvraj Singh has won the ’player of the series’ award in ODIs seven times.
2. Virat Kohli
Throughout his career, Virat Kohli has been a stalwart for the Indian team, across all formats. He has scored 43 ODI centuries and has won India various series on his own. Virat Kohli has won the ’player of the series’ award in ODIs eight times.
1. Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar was an opener for India in ODIs. He had scored 49 ODI centuries. Tendulkar had broken multiple records. He had also made various batting records in ODIs, which are still unsurpassed. The most significant series in which Tendulkar was the ‘player of the series’ was the 2003 World Cup. Sachin Tendulkar has won the ’player of the series’ award in ODIs fourteen times.
