One of the hardest things about being a batter in cricket is the continuous expectation kept on them by the audience and team management alike to score runs and more runs.
The number of centuries is a key indicator of how consistent a batter, especially a top-order batter, is. This is because they have the chance to bat maximum overs, and ideally, they are more often than not expected to score a big daddy century.
One may argue that cricket is a batsman’s game, but they still have to score runs while also keeping modern-day pitches in mind. In this article, we will not just focus on the number of centuries scored by a batter but also the fastest to score 20 of them in this format.
Fastest to 20 ODI Centuries
| Player | Team | Innings to 20 Centuries |
|---|---|---|
| Hashim Amla | South Africa | 108 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 133 |
| Babar Azam | Pakistan | 136 |
| David Warner | Australia | 142 |
| Quinton de Kock | South Africa | 150 |
| AB de Villiers | South Africa | 175 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 183 |
| Ross Taylor | New Zealand | 195 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 197 |
| Sourav Ganguly | India | 214 |
Key Insights on the Quickest Batsmen to Reach 20 ODI Centuries
Record Holders and Competitive Context (Fastest by Innings)
Hashim Amla established the current world record, reaching the 20-century mark in just 108 innings in the 2015 ICC World Cup.
India’s Virat Kohli was the previous record holder, achieving the milestone in 133 innings. Kohli continues his exceptional career, currently holding 51 ODI centuries and on his way to the 15,000-run mark.
Pakistan’s Babar Azam became the fastest player to reach 19 ODI centuries (in 102 innings). However, he took 34 more innings to reach his 20th ton, finishing as the third-fastest overall in 136 innings. This century was particularly significant as it broke an 83 consecutive innings drought across all international formats.
AB de Villiers (South Africa) took 175 innings. Known as “Mr. 360,” his career culminated with 25 ODI hundreds and an astounding average over 53 at a strike rate over 101.
Rohit Sharma (India) achieved the feat in 183 innings, demonstrating the ability to tear up bowling attacks, with his best score in ODIs being 264 runs.
Key Milestones and National Dominance
Sachin Tendulkar (India) took 197 innings to reach the mark. He finished his career as the player with the most ODI centuries 49 in 452 innings (which was later broken by Virat Kohli’s 50th ton) and was the first to score an ODI double ton.
The top 10 fastest batsmen to 20 ODI centuries features 4 Indian players (Kohli, Tendulkar, Sharma, Ganguly) and 3 South African players (Amla, de Kock, de Villiers).
Ross Taylor (New Zealand) moved past Tendulkar’s innings count when he smashed his 20th ODI hundred in his 195th innings, ending his career with 21 tons in 220 innings.
Sourav Ganguly (India) hit his 20th ton in 214 innings and was one of the few players in his era to breach the 10,000-run mark.
Saeed Anwar (Pakistan) took 243 innings to reach the landmark, scoring over 8000 runs at an average of 39.22 in his career.
Fastest to every 1000 ODI Runs
Player Distribution and Milestone Totals
The total number of cricketers to have scored 20 or more ODI centuries in their careers is 17.
Cricketers with over 20 ODI hundreds who are not on this “fastest to 20” list include Australia’s Ricky Ponting (30), West Indies’ Chris Gayle (25), Pakistan’s Saeed Anwar (20), and Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya (28), Kumar Sangakkara (25), and Tillakaratne Dilshan (22).
