Top Ten ODI cricketers of All Time

[ankitj]

We'll have to keep disagreeing. The WC final is the highest pinnacle in ODI cricket by some margin for those lucky enough to get a shot. I say highest 'possible pressure situation', not to suggest it's a always going to be a thriller with 12 needed from the last over or something. I mean that everyone is naturally more on edge in a WC final than any other ODI, it comes with the territory.

Only reason world cup final performance counts more is because you possibly play against the strongest opposition. Other than that no points for performing under "extreme pressure". Both teams experience the same amount of pressure. It can't be that both batting and bowling becomes hard because of pressure. It can't be that no one scores hundreds and no one takes wickets, no one scores quickly and no one bowls economically. That's mathematically not possible. World cup final performances become legends but that doesn't mean they are especially harder.

 

[Red]

Crap? Tone it down.

He got 21 off 14 and dominated Pak bowlers that day. It was a quickie but it still counts.

A typical Afridi domination is 6 off 2. Sehwag helped Ind get past 50 in 5 overs in that game, giving them a massive psychological advantage. Those things in a chase are priceless and can't be quantified. Same reason actually why I think he is great with really good ODI batsmen in the line up. He would suck in a weaker team but if his attack comes off, the ones following him would make it count almost every time.

Come on mate, you might think that Sehwag was a gun, but you really can't illustrate this by saying that scoring 21 off 14 makes him some kind of ODI great opener! That's a failure for an ODI opening batsman, no matter how you look at it.

 

[srbhkshk]

Come on mate, you might think that Sehwag was a gun, but you really can't illustrate this by saying that scoring 21 off 14 makes him some kind of ODI great opener! That's a failure for an ODI opening batsman, no matter how you look at it.

1. 21 off 14 is a failure without a context, that day in 2003 was the day Indian top order was supposed to be blown apart by the pace and swing of the Pakistani bowlers, it was the day India were supposed to get all out for 120 chasing 275, what happened instead was that he and Tendulkar tore into the Pakistani attack and India crossed 50 runs in 5 overs (and this was 2003 when 6-7 RPO starts were considered fast), he got out after that but the job was done, the Pakistanis were deflated and the following Indian Batsmen were far more comfortable going in.
2. Even more important than 1, 21 off 14 was used just as an example, it's not the best representative of why Sehwag was so good but it's one of the more remembered matches, his typical innings used to be something like 40(30) which would mean that the RRR would be down from 6 to 5.5 by the time the next Batsmen came in and they could afford to go slow for a moment, play themselves in and express themselves fully once they had a eye in, sure a lot of batsmen did that but Sehwag did it more often (as his average suggests) and better than others ( as his SR suggests).

 

[Shri]

Come on mate, you might think that Sehwag was a gun, but you really can't illustrate this by saying that scoring 21 off 14 makes him some kind of ODI great opener! That's a failure for an ODI opening batsman, no matter how you look at it.

srbhkshk said it better than me.

 

[Zinzan]

I'm finding it difficult to put my finger on it as to why I never liked Sehwag so much as a ODI bat, especially considering I adored his Test batting. There's nothing wrong with his record looking at it retrospectively, & he actually did well in NZ, which he didn't at all in Test matches here.

 

[smash84]

I'm finding it difficult to put my finger on it as to why I never liked Sehwag so much as a ODI bat, especially considering I adored his Test batting. There's nothing wrong with his record looking at it retrospectively, & he actually did well in NZ, which he didn't at all in Test matches here.

because you knew that if he came up against a bowler there was a reasonably high chance that he would be toast as compared to someone like Gilchrist or Tendulkar etc.

 

[Shri]

because you knew that if he came up against a bowler there was a reasonably high chance that he would be toast as compared to someone like Gilchrist or Tendulkar etc.

Hit 80 odd against McGrath and Lee in a WC final, striking at over a 100.

 

[paul wegas]

1. Brian Lara
2. Wasim Akram
3. Sachin Tendulkar
4. Adam Gilchrist
5. M.S. Dhoni
6. AB De Villiers
7. Muhammad yousaf
8. Sanath Jayasuriya
9. Ricky ponting
10. Shoiab akhtar

 

[Zinzan]

1. Brian Lara
2. Wasim Akram
3. Sachin Tendulkar
4. Adam Gilchrist
5. M.S. Dhoni
6. AB De Villiers
7. Muhammad yousaf
8. Sanath Jayasuriya
9. Ricky ponting
10. Shoiab akhtar

This must be post 2000 and pre 2010s then. No Richards, No Garner, No Hadlee & No Kohli.

 

[stephen]

How good of a fielder was Sehwag? I always remember him being a good batsman but fielding is so important in ODI cricket that a player who is a poor fielder can't be considered great in that format.

Not that I'm suggesting Sehwag was bad or good in the field. I just can't remember his fielding.

 

[honestbharani]

How good of a fielder was Sehwag? I always remember him being a good batsman but fielding is so important in ODI cricket that a player who is a poor fielder can't be considered great in that format.

Not that I'm suggesting Sehwag was bad or good in the field. I just can't remember his fielding.

That usually means he was safe and reliable.

 

[honestbharani]

because you knew that if he came up against a bowler there was a reasonably high chance that he would be toast as compared to someone like Gilchrist or Tendulkar etc.

 

[Zinzan]

because you knew that if he came up against a bowler there was a reasonably high chance that he would be toast as compared to someone like Gilchrist or Tendulkar etc.

Could be that, It's strange because their records are very similar, I just remember Gilchrist used to scare the hell out of me when we played Australia, whereas always felt Sehwag was going to be dismissed sooner rather than later.

 

[vic_orthdox]

For a long time, Sehwag was an underachiever in ODI cricket. If you look at the period of his career that overlaps with Gilchrist (1999-2007), he only averaged over 35 - i.e. his career average - in one calendar year (2002). First two years of that being a non-entity really though.

It was 2008 onwards where he became the damaging player that he always threatened to be.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Yep. He had a 3 year period where he was incredible but most of his career, his numbers were very poor. I'd personally take the guy who delivered more consistently through the length of his career.

 

[stephen]

Even in statistical analysis only, there are a bunch of guys who average around 35 with a 90+ strike rate competing for that opening spot. The two who stand out are Jayasuria and Gilchrist because Jaya was a competent part time bowler and Gilly was one of the best ODI keepers as a pure keeper.

If you're going to pick a second opener to partner Tendulkar purely for their batting then you bring guys like Lara who averaged 46 @ 75 opening. Or Hayden who averaged 44 @ 79.

I think that's why Sehwag is largely ignored. If you have very similar options who have another skill to bring (Jaya/Gilly) or strictly superior options (Lara/Hayden) you are going to be looked at as a lesser player (even if you are excellent).

 

[stephen]

Where do people rate RtD? Only 33 matches because he played for the Netherlands but he averaged 67 @ 88 with 5 hundreds, which is pretty insane.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Mostly against other teams outside the top then though, wasn't it?

 

[vcs]

1. 21 off 14 is a failure without a context, that day in 2003 was the day Indian top order was supposed to be blown apart by the pace and swing of the Pakistani bowlers, it was the day India were supposed to get all out for 120 chasing 275, what happened instead was that he and Tendulkar tore into the Pakistani attack and India crossed 50 runs in 5 overs (and this was 2003 when 6-7 RPO starts were considered fast), he got out after that but the job was done, the Pakistanis were deflated and the following Indian Batsmen were far more comfortable going in.
2. Even more important than 1, 21 off 14 was used just as an example, it's not the best representative of why Sehwag was so good but it's one of the more remembered matches, his typical innings used to be something like 40(30) which would mean that the RRR would be down from 6 to 5.5 by the time the next Batsmen came in and they could afford to go slow for a moment, play themselves in and express themselves fully once they had a eye in, sure a lot of batsmen did that but Sehwag did it more often (as his average suggests) and better than others ( as his SR suggests).

He also did an excellent job in Mohali in 2011. The rest of the Indian innings was pretty painful to watch.

 

[Shri]

Even in statistical analysis only, there are a bunch of guys who average around 35 with a 90+ strike rate competing for that opening spot. The two who stand out are Jayasuria and Gilchrist because Jaya was a competent part time bowler and Gilly was one of the best ODI keepers as a pure keeper.

If you're going to pick a second opener to partner Tendulkar purely for their batting then you bring guys like Lara who averaged 46 @ 75 opening. Or Hayden who averaged 44 @ 79.

I think that's why Sehwag is largely ignored. If you have very similar options who have another skill to bring (Jaya/Gilly) or strictly superior options (Lara/Hayden) you are going to be looked at as a lesser player (even if you are excellent).

Yeah no one is arguing for his inclusion in an ODI all time XI as an opener. Just that if not for his keeping, there is not much between him and Sehwag.