One-Day International (ODI) cricket stands as the most popular format of the game and any landmark in this format is quite impressive to achieve. On Sunday, while playing against New Zealand, Shubman Gill became the fastest to achieve 2000 runs landmark in ODI cricket.
Reaching 2000 runs in the format being a significant milestone for any batter. However, only a select few have been able to achieve this feat in a short number of innings.
In this article, we will examine the fastest players to score 2000 runs in ODI cricket. This list comprises some of the young as well as perfectly versed batters who with their consistentcy and talent, completed 2000 runs in ODI cricket.
The fastest player to reach 2000 runs in ODI cricket is Shubman Gill. Gill achieved this feat in just 38 innings, surpassing the previous record held by Hashim Amla of South Africa by two innings. Gill’s achievement is even more extraordinary because he is the only batter to score 2000 ODI runs while having a double century under his belt. The Indian opener is in the form of his life, consistently scoring big runs with class and elegance.
Two words that go hand in hand with Hashim Amla are humility and class. The guy with magical wrists from South Africa completed 2000 runs in just 40 innings. Making his debut in 2008 against Bangladesh, Amla also started his career as an opener for South Africa. It took only 7 innings to get his first half-century in ODI cricket, and after that, he flowed freely in ODI cricket.
The third player on this list is Babar Azam, who completed 2000 runs in ODIs in 45 innings. The seriously talented right-hander from Pakistan hit three consecutive centuries against West Indies in 2016 at the age of 22, showing the caliber of player he is. He completed his 2000 ODI runs in a match against Zimbabwe, which marked his 8th career century. Babar also holds the record for the fastest 5000 runs in ODIs, which he achieved in 97 innings.
Not only do typical class and orthodox players make this list. Kevin Pietersen, who was an unorthodox batter, added a few new shots to the cricket book, reaching 2000 ODI runs in 45 innings. Pietersen had a great start to his ODI career, hitting a half-century in just his second match and a century against South Africa in the 5th innings of his ODI career. It was only his second series in his ODI career where he scored 454 runs at an average of 151 in 6 innings.
The fifth batter on this list is Rassie Van der Dussen, who had a late bloom in his cricket career. Rassie made his debut at the age of 30 against Pakistan, scoring an impressive 93 runs followed by another half-century. It took him 17 innings to score his first century, but his consistency was quite unreal in ODIs. For a while, he maintained his ODI average above 60 while playing against big teams like Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, and England.
Other notable players on this list include Virat Kohli, Zaheer Abbas, and Quinton de Kock. All of these players have scored 2000 runs in ODI cricket in less than 50 innings, and they are all considered to be among the best batters in the world.
When a top-order batter scores runs with such consistency, the team always appears to be on top of the game. India and South Africa are currently favorites for winning the cricket World Cup 2023, and why wouldn’t they be, with such players who consistently score big runs for the team at the top order.
