A One Day International World Cup is one of the grand events in international cricket. It is considered the most vital title in cricket history among the international teams. The first World Cup got launched in 1975, where the West Indies team emerged victorious by defeating Australia in the final. The men in maroon also won the second edition and reached the final of the 1983 edition. Australia is the most successful team in World Cup history, having won the World Cup five times and reached the finals seven times. India was the triumphant team in the 1983 and the 2011 editions of the World Cup led by Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni, respectively. Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1996 and Pakistan in 1992, led by Arjuna Ranatunga and Imran Khan, respectively. The list below shows the top ten batters from Asia with the most runs in the One Day International history.
1. Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most runs in ODI World Cup history. The master blaster made his first World Cup appearance in 1992 and played his last World Cup match in the 2011 final that India went on to win. Sachin was a part of 45 World Cup matches and scored 2278 runs at an average of 56 with the help of 15 half-centuries and six centuries, and his highest score was 152.
2. Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara has made the second-highest runs among Asian players in the ODI World Cup. The Sri Lankan legend played 37 World Cup matches and scored 1532 runs at an average of 56 with the help of seven half-centuries and five centuries, and his best score was 124. Sanga made his World Cup debut in 2003 but was at his best in the 2015 World Cup, where he struck four consecutive centuries.
3. Sanath Jayasuriya
Sri Lanka’s best opening batter wore the World Cup jersey in 38 ODI matches and scored 1165 runs at an average of 34 with the help of six half-centuries and three centuries, and his best performance in the World Cup was 120. Jayasuriya played his first World Cup match in 1992 and last in 2007.
4. Shakib Al Hasan
The Bangladeshi all-rounder made 29 World Cup appearances starting from the 2007 edition and scored 1146 runs at an average of 45 with the help of ten fifties and two scores over the hundred. Shakib’s highest World Cup score is an unbeaten 124.
5. Tillakaratne Dilshan
The man famous for his Dilscoop shot appeared in 27 World Cup matches and scored 1112 runs at an average of 52 with the help of four half-centuries and four centuries, and his highest score was an unbeaten 161. The Sri Lankan opening batter made his World Cup debut in the 2007 edition, and his last appearance came in the 2015 edition.
6. Mahela Jayawardene
Mahela Jayawardene was a part of 40 World Cup matches for Sri Lanka and scored 1100 runs at an average of 35 with the help of five half-centuries and four centuries, and his best World Cup score was an unbeaten 115. Jayawardene’s first World Cup appearance was in the 1999 edition and the last in the 2015 edition.
7. Javed Miandad
The legendary Pakistani batter played 33 World Cup matches and made 1083 runs at an average of 43 with eight half-centuries and one hundred, and his highest score in the World Cup was 103. Miandad played his first World Cup match in 1975 and the last one in 2016.
8. Aravinda De Silva
The Sri Lanka batter scored a century in the 1996 World Cup final to guide Sri Lanka to the title win. De Silva scored 1064 runs in 35 World Cup matches at an average of 36 with the help of six half-centuries and two centuries, and his best World Cup performance was 145 runs. The former Sri Lanka skipper made his World Cup debut in 1987 and played his final World Cup game in 2003.
9. Virat Kohli
The run machine has appeared in 26 World Cup games and scored 1030 runs at an average of 46 with the help of six half-centuries and two scores over the hundred, and his highest World Cup score is 107. Kohli made his first World Cup appearance in the 2011 edition.
10. Saurav Ganguly
The former Indian captain took India to the finals of the 2003 edition of the World Cup, where they lost against Australia. Ganguly appeared in 21 World Cup games and scored 1006 runs at an average of 55 with three half-centuries and four centuries, and his best World Cup performance was 183 runs. Ganguly wore the Indian World Cup jersey for the first time in the 1999 edition and the 2007 edition for the final time.
