There have been lists made like these, but they include all the players from all the eras of the 147-year history of cricket. However, the current lot of cricketers are the ones that get left out. Therefore, it is time to acknowledge the players who are playing currently, who have done exceptionally well for a period of time, and who are still playing. These days, there are three formats in which an international cricketer can score runs, whereas it was two for almost 30 years, and before that, for almost 90 years, there was only one format, which was Test cricket.
Let’s look at the top 5 active batters with the most international runs (Updated as of March 2024)
Virat Kohli – 26733 runs and counting
At number 1 in this list, and by a long margin, is the King of World Cricket, and his name is Virat Kohli. Virat Kohli has been playing cricket ever since 2008, so it has been 16 years, and he has been at the top of his game. He is less than 2000 runs away from reaching number 2 in the all-time list of most international runs. Kohli has made 8848 runs in 113 Test matches for India at an average of 49.15, with 29 hundreds (including seven double hundreds). Kohli has scored a mammoth 13848 runs in ODI cricket in 292 matches. He has an astounding average of 58.67, and he has made 50 hundreds in ODI cricket. In T20I cricket, he has made 4037 runs at an average of 51.7 in 117 matches. He has hit one hundred in the T20I format. He still has a few years left in him and can breach the 30,000+ run mark.
Joe Root – 19151 runs and counting
The number 2 batter on this list is the best batter from England, and his name is Joe Root. He has been playing cricket since 2012, so it has been 12 years for him at the top level. Root has played 140 Test matches for England, in which he has scored 11736 runs at an average of 49.72 with 31 Test Hundreds. He has played 171 ODIs, and in these matches, he has made 6522 runs at an average of 47.60 with 16 hundreds. He has also played 32 T20Is for England and hit 893 runs for England. Root should scale the 20,000-run mark in the next year.
Rohit Sharma – 18820 runs and counting
At number 3 on this list is Rohit Sharma, who is the captain for India in all three formats of the sport. He has reinvented himself in the last 10 years in ODIs and the last five years in Test Cricket. He has made 4137 runs in 59 matches at an average of 45.46. He has hit 12 Test hundreds in total, out of which nine have come in the last 5+ years. He has played 262 ODIs for India and hit 10709 runs at an average of 49.12. He has made 31 hundreds in ODI cricket, as well as being the only cricketer in history to hit three double hundreds in ODI cricket. Rohit Sharma has also played in 151 T20Is, which is the most in men’s T20 international history. He has scored 3974 runs in this T20I format, along with a record five hundreds.
David Warner – 18817 runs and counting
At number 4 is David Warner, who is in his last legs as an international cricketer. He is in his last year as an active cricketer, and he has hit 18817 runs throughout his career. David Warner has played 112 Test matches for Australia and hit 8786 runs at an average of 44.59, and he has also hit 26 hundreds, including three double hundreds as well as a triple century with a score of 335 not out. In the 161 ODIs he has played, he has made 6932 runs at an average of 45.30. He has smashed 22 centuries in ODI cricket. He has also played in 103 T20I matches till now and scored 3099 runs, with the highest score of 100*. He can cross the 19000-run mark before he retires.
Kane Williamson – 18100 runs and counting
Kane Williamson is number 5 on this list, and he has recently breached the 18,000-run mark in international cricket. He has been in sensational form in Test cricket, where he recently hit seven centuries in seven Test matches. Williamson has played 100 Test matches so far and has made 8743 runs in Test cricket at a very good average of 54.98. He has 32 Test hundreds, including six double hundreds. Williamson has played in 165 ODIs and has scored 6810 runs at an average of 48.64. He has 13 centuries in ODI cricket. Williamson has also played in 89 T20Is for New Zealand and hit 2547 runs. He can easily hit 2000 more runs and get into the 20,000-run club.
