Leading from the front is one of the essential parts of captaincy. A captain should lead from the front and show the path to his teammates. One Day Internationals (ODIs) have witnessed several great captains who have led from the front with the bat.
This article looks at the top 10 highest individual scores in ODIs while playing as captains. Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, Ricky Ponting, and MS Dhoni are some legendary names who were one of the bests with the bat playing as the captain.
Highest Score by a Captain in ODI
| Player | Highest Score as Captain | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virender Sehwag (IND) | 219 | West Indies | Indore | 08 Dec 2011 |
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 208* | Sri Lanka | Mohali | 13 Dec 2017 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) | 189 | India | Sharjah | 29 Oct 2000 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 186* | New Zealand | Hyderabad | 08 Nov 1999 |
| Viv Richards (WI) | 181 | Sri Lanka | Karachi | 13 Oct 1987 |
| Kapil Dev (IND) | 175* | Zimbabwe | Tunbridge Wells | 18 Jun 1983 |
| Sean Williams (ZIM) | 174 | U.S.A. | Harare | 26 Jun 2023 |
| Glenn Turner (NZ) | 171* | East Africa | Birmingham | 07 Jun 1975 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 164 | South Africa | Johannesburg | 12 Mar 2006 |
| Steven Smith (AUS) | 164 | New Zealand | Sydney | 04 Dec 2016 |
Stats Insights
Virender Sehwag has the prestigious record of scoring the highest individual score as ODI captain. He scored a double century against West Indies as ODI captain in 2011. Sehwag smashed 219 runs in 149 balls against the Caribbean bowling lineup at Indore. Sehwag was only the second batsman to score a double century in ODI cricket then. Check the list of ODI double centurions here.
Rohit Sharma has the record of smashing most double centuries in the history of ODI cricket. Rohit smashed 208 runs off 153 balls against Sri Lanka in 2017. Mohali was the witness to this firepower knock from the Indian captain. Rohit smashed 13 fours and 12 sixes in this knock.
Among the top 10 innings on this list, the knock of AB De Villiers has the highest strike rate. He scored 162 runs in 66 balls (one of the fastest in the format) against West Indies in an ODI World Cup match in 2015.
Interestingly, the top two names on the list were not the full-time ODI captains at that time. Rohit has a great chance to top the list as he has now become the Indian cricket team captain.
Ricky Ponting has scored the most runs as ODI captain. Virat Kohli has the highest batting average as ODI captain in the history of International cricket.
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