Running between the wickets plays a crucial role in ODI cricket. Batsmen should know how to place the ball in gaps for singles or doubles. Batsmen should also have a sumptuous speed while running between the wickets, putting extra pressure on the fielder. Sometimes this could lead to a miss-field and give away one extra run.
Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni are widely famous for running between the wickets with great understanding. Both of them have a good game sense of converting a single into a double. In ODI cricket, usually, middle overs are the deciding factor in determining the fate of the ODI game.
Considering the middle overs in the modern-day ODI game, batsmen should be able to score 5.5+ runs per over and preserve their wickets since it’s a long game. In such a case, the batsman can easily score 5-6 runs per over if he knows the art of taking doubles.
This article will look at the top 10 batsmen who have scored the most number of ‘double runs’ in the history of ODI Cricket.
Note: The data below only has the numbers recorded after the ball-by-ball commentary arrived in cricket in the early 2000s. For instance, Kumar Sangakkara was involved in 380 innings, but only 358 innings were recorded using ball-by-ball tracking, and only half of legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s career innings were included.
Most 2s in ODI by Batsmen
| Player | No. of 2s | Innings |
|---|---|---|
| Kumar Sangakkara (SL) | 945 | 358 |
| Virat Kohli (IND) | 925 | 282 |
| Mahela Jayawardene (SL) | 759 | 357 |
| MS Dhoni (IND) | 715 | 297 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 711 | 281 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 632 | 220 |
| Tilakaratne Dilshan (SL) | 612 | 289 |
| Michael Clarke (AUS) | 604 | 223 |
| Mohammad Yousuf (PAK) | 579 | 219 |
| AB De Villiers (SA) | 552 | 218 |
Stats Insights
Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara leads the chart. He has run 945 double runs despite being a wicketkeeper-batsman. Former Indian captain Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni also find a place on this list. Virat Kohli has the best batting average (58) among all the batsmen.
Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and AB de Villiers are the only three batsmen with a 50+ average on this list. South African batsman AB de Villiers also has the best strike rate of more than 100 in ODIs which is a massive achievement.
Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most runs (18426) in the history of ODI cricket. He also has the most fifty-plus scores and centuries in One-day International. Mohammad Yousuf has the lowest batting strike rate (75.1), and Mahela Jayawardene has the lowest batting average (33.4) among all these batsmen.
The list consists of three Sri Lankan batsmen. Sri Lankan pitches are usually slow and tough for shot-making. Due to this, batsmen rely on taking singles or doubles for run-scoring in ODIs. Ricky Ponting, MS Dhoni, and Michael Clarke are the three World Cup-winning captains on the list.
In the future, Virat Kohli is expected to top this list as he has 3-4 years of cricket left in him. Virat relies a lot on running between the wickets in the format, making him a special ODI player.
Also Read: Most 6s in International Cricket
