Strike Rate is a very widely used term when it comes to ODI cricket and these days during the modern times the batters have to not just score runs but score them at a rapid pace and with a good strike rate to put the Indian team in a winning position. Kapil Dev was the first Indian ODI player to play with a great strike rate and taking inspiration from him, the new generation of Indian batsmen have become aggressive while batting.
During the last 15 years especially the Indian batters have become more cognizant with the times and have adapted very well to the new needs of having a good strike rate in the 50 overs format as well. So, let’s have a look at the Top 5 Indian batsmen with the highest strike rate in ODIs.
1. Hardik Pandya (116.90 Strike Rate ):
In the 5 years that he has played the ODI format, Hardik Pandya has emerged as the best hitter of the cricket ball for India in the ODI format of the game. It’s not that he has played only 10 Innings or so but he has batted in 46 ODI innings and to have such an impressive strike rate even after so many matches is amazing. His six hitting ability is second to none and his skills to play long innings have contributed to this greatly. Here’s hoping that Hardik can continue to display more of the same destructive batting in ODIs and win more matches for India.
Also Read | Best performances of Hardik Pandya
2. Yusuf Pathan (113.60 Strike Rate):
Yusuf Pathan was a member of the 2011 World Cup winning team and during the time he played he was one of the most destructive batters in the entire world. He batted in 41 innings for India and scored 2 hundreds for India as well and to make such an impact that he was one of the most impactful players in the World Cup winning team was amazing to see as he was a match winning all rounder for India. He could have played more but the team was so good that he could not earn a place back in the national colors.
Also Read | Most Man of the match awards in ODIs
3. Virender Sehwag (104.44):
This career is the most extraordinary career in the history of Indian ODI cricket and to bat at a strike rate over a 100 for over 230 innings while opening the batting and facing the best bowlers from every country is absolutely staggering. He scored almost 8000 runs with this strike rate and he hit 15 amazing hundreds as well. He was the star of the Indian batting line-up which had the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly etc. There will most likely never be another like him who played Test cricket and ODI cricket in the same way. The fans of Indian cricket were blessed to witness his greatness for 14 years.
Also Read | Best Innings of Virender Sehwag
4. Kedar Jadhav (101.60 Strike Rate):
Kedar Jadhav first debuted for India in the year 2014 and he immediately made a huge impact with both bat and ball, his unusual action was the talk of the town and his audacious batting won many hearts across the cricketing world as he won a few matches for India with his dominant batting. He batted for India in 52 innings and he made 2 brilliant centuries and 6 great half centuries in his ODI career. Unfortunately due to his fitness, he was unable to play for India after 2020 , here’s hoping he can overcome his Fitness issues and play for India again.
5. Shreyas Iyer (100.37 Strike Rate):
Although it’s been a relatively young ODI career for Shreyas Iyer, he has made a mark in his first 20 innings as he has entered the top 5 in this list and that is proof of what he will achieve in the years to come. He is a solid dependable number 4 and has already scored a hundred and a very impressive 8 fifties in his young career and the sky is the limit for this young man from Mumbai.
Also Read | Most runs in a calendar year in ODIs history
