The game of cricket is often referred to as the Gentleman's Game. However, often it is said that cricket is all about scoring runs, whether by batsmen or by bowlers who come to bat in the lower orders. Therefore, in this article, we have compiled a list of the top 10 ODI batsmen who have dazzled the audience by their performance throughout the year.
Mushfiqur Rahim
The super aggressive batsman of Bangladesh who became famous for his Naagin Dance on the field is at the 10th place in this list. He scored 770 runs in 19 matches and remained unbeaten 5 times. Along with a century, 5 half-centuries and an average of 55.00, he managed to secure a spot for Bangladesh in this list.
Shai Hope
This West Indian batsman lost the battle of 8th place in this list by just a match and has scored 875 runs in 18 matches for West Indies. He also managed to hit 3 centuries and 3 half centuries despite being dismissed for a duck in 3 of his matches in 2018. HIs perseverance and talent have placed him at the 9th place in the list of Top 10 ODI batsmen of 2018.
Fakhar Zaman
Widely regarded as the Hope of Pakistan in many matches, this batsman will be remembered for his 210 run knock in ODIs forever. He is at the 8th place in the list of top ODI batsmen of 2018, which is largely because of his 210 run knock. Apart from that, Fakhar also scored 875 runs in 17 matches along with 2 centuries and 6 half centuries in 2018.
Jason Roy
This English player has found himself at the 7th place in this list, only because of his great performance in 2018. He scored 894 runs in 22 matches and also scored 3 centuries and 1 half century in 2018. His iconic knock of 180 runs also came in 2018 which earned him a lot of praise.
Shikhar Dhawan
Popularly known as Gabbar among his teammates, Shikhar was always criticised for underperforming. However, in 2018 he broke this myth and went on to score 897 runs at a strike rate of 102.28 in 19 matches and has grabbed the 6th place in this list. He also scored 3 centuries and 2 half-centuries as well and hit 127 fours, which was the highest in 2018.
Brendan Taylor
This promising batsman of Zimbabwe has pushed back most of the players of the game and managed to grab the 5th spot in the Top 10 ODI Batsmen of 2018 list. He scored 898 runs against 1025 balls he faced in 21 matches played in 2018. He also scored 2 centuries, 4 half-centuries and even a duck during this time. Hence, he seems to the most promising player in this list.
Joe Root
The English Test skipper, Joe Root has also proved his might in the limited overs format and is the fourth best ODI batsman of 2018. He scored 946 runs in 24 matches he played for England in 2018 and remained unbeaten in 8 of them. He also managed to add 3 centuries and 5 half-centuries to his career in 2018.
Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow has proved his worth in the English Cricket team by scoring 1025 ODI runs in 2018. His runs have come in numerous crucial times and have helped England in their time of pressure. Jonny scored his runs across 22 matches at an average of 46.59 runs per innings. In the past year, he also scored 4 centuries and 2 half centuries to grab the number 3 spot in this list.
Rohit Sharma
Rohit, the Hitman of team India is another player who impressed everyone in ODIs this past year. He added 1030 runs to his career at a strike rate of more than 100 and that includes 5 centuries and 3 half-centuries as well. However, his 1030 runs have come up at an average of 73.57 runs per innings in 19 matches, which seems no match to the man on top - Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli
Virat is the captain of the Indian cricket team and has kept his place sustained at the number 3 spot in his team because of his hunger to perform. In 2018, he played like a boss and dominated the field by scoring 1202 runs in 14 matches. He remained unbeaten 5 times this past year and scored 6 centuries and 3 half half-centuries in the career. As a top order batsman, he has topped the list and seeing his form, he is expected to retain the spot in the near future.
