It is hard not to celebrate a few milestones that are beyond what we can expect from one’s cricketing career, which can span for a maximum of 15 years.
Few, who have stayed more than others by staying fit and relevant to the changes and challenges the game of Cricket demands, have managed to cross more paths and achieve milestones that are only a dream for many. Accumulating an aggregate of 20000 runs in international cricket (all formats together) is one of them. In more than 100 years through which the game has thrived, only 14 players on date have reached the 20K international runs.
This article will list them below with the classification of runs they scored in each format.
Players with 20000+ Runs in International Cricket
| Player | Innings | Total Runs | Test Runs | ODI Runs | T20I Runs | Total Average | Total 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 782 | 34357 | 15921 | 18426 | 10 | 48.52 | 100 |
| Virat Kohli (IND) | 625 | 28091 | 9230 | 14673 | 4188 | 52.60 | 84 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (SL) | 666 | 28016 | 12400 | 14234 | 1382 | 46.77 | 63 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 668 | 27483 | 13378 | 13704 | 401 | 45.95 | 71 |
| Mahela Jayawardene (SL) | 725 | 25957 | 11814 | 12650 | 1493 | 39.15 | 54 |
| Jacques Kallis (SA) | 617 | 25534 | 13289 | 11579 | 666 | 49.10 | 62 |
| Rahul Dravid (IND) | 605 | 24208 | 13288 | 10889 | 31 | 45.41 | 48 |
| Brian Lara (WI) | 521 | 22358 | 11953 | 10405 | – | 46.28 | 53 |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 503 | 22166 | 13943 | 7330 | 893 | 49.36 | 60 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) | 651 | 21032 | 6973 | 13430 | 629 | 34.14 | 42 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI) | 553 | 20988 | 11867 | 8778 | 343 | 45.72 | 41 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq (PAK) | 551 | 20580 | 8830 | 11739 | 11 | 43.32 | 35 |
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 540 | 20098 | 4301 | 11566 | 4231 | 42.40 | 50 |
| AB de Villiers (SA) | 484 | 20014 | 8765 | 9577 | 1672 | 48.11 | 47 |
Key Insights on 20,000+ International Run Scorers
The All-Time Peak of Sachin Tendulkar
Untouchable Aggregate: Sachin Tendulkar’s total runs (34,357) are significantly higher than the next player, establishing a benchmark for longevity and productivity across a 24-year career (1989-2013).
Sachin Tendulkar is the only player to score 15000+ runs in a single format. He has more than 15K runs in both Tests and ODIs, becoming the only one to crack the magical 30K milestone.
The Century Mark: He holds the all-time record of 100 international centuries, a testament to his unmatched ability to reach the three-figure mark across Tests and ODIs.
Kohli’s Era of Statistical Excellence
Highest Average: Virat Kohli stands out with the highest batting average among this elite group. This indicates a phenomenal level of consistency and an ability to convert starts into big scores.
Conversion Rate: Kohli also has the most centuries (84) among active players on the list and is second only to Sachin Tendulkar’s world-record 100 centuries.
Specialised Skillsets
The Wall vs. The Modern Master: Rahul Dravid‘s style (lower strike rate) is a clear contrast to modern players like Virat Kohli and Ricky Ponting, illustrating the shift in batting approach over time, especially with the emergence of T20 cricket. Dravid’s high number of innings and consistency made him an anchor.
The All-Round Great: Jacques Kallis is the only player in this 20,000+ run club who is also considered one of the greatest all-rounders in history, adding immense value with his bowling. Explore his out-of-the-world all-round record-book here.
The Attacking Left-Handers: Sanath Jayasuriya and Brian Lara are known for their attacking flair, with Lara’s peak Test scores being among the highest ever. Rohit Sharma, another name in the elite list, is the most aggressive in the modern era, holding the highest Strike Rate among the Indians in the list and the record for most sixes.
Key Country-Specific Insights
India leads the chart with four players (Tendulkar, Kohli, Dravid, Sharma) in this elite list.
The Sri Lankan presence is incredibly strong in the upper tiers, with Kumar Sangakkara (2nd) and Mahela Jayawardene (5th) having accumulated runs as a dominant pair for over a decade. And the third and the oldest entry in the list from the Island nation is Sanath Jayasuriya, an explosive all-format batter. It shows a wide range of batting approaches from one nation.
Despite Australia’s historical success, only Ricky Ponting features in this list, which speaks to his sheer individual output and consistency over an era.
Inzamam-ul-Haq, who leads the all-format runs-scorers chart for Pakistan, is the only Pakistan player on the list.
Brian Lara, one of the two entries from the Caribbean nation along with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, is also the only player on the list who hasn’t played any T20 international matches.
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