The world has seen many remarkable batters ever since cricket was first played a couple of centuries ago. The likes of Sir Don Bradman, Sir Vivian Richards, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara have dominated bowlers in different eras, for at least a decade. Now there are new superstars and rising talents who look all set to take over the world in the future. Here, we take a look at the top 10 batters in the world right now.
Virat Kohli
The Indian batting stalwart is probably the most successful all-format batter in world cricket right now. He made his India debut in 2009 and has gone on to establish himself as the numerous uno batter in world cricket since then. Kohli has played many memorable knocks in all formats since then, amassing over 12,000 runs in ODIs, more than 8000 runs in Tests, and he is the only batter who has reached past 4000 T20I runs right now.
Not only that, he averages over 50 in both ODIs and T20Is and his average in Test cricket also reads a respectable 48.90. Kohli is 34 years old now but he still looks at the peak of his fitness and batting abilities. This means he is going to smash many more records in the coming time.
Steve Smith
Smith's T20I and ODI record may not be as good as the other batsmen on this list. However, he is unarguably the most talented Test batter this generation has seen. The Australian batter has amassed over 8500 Test runs till date and averages 60.89 in the format, with 30 centuries and 37 fifties to his name. That's a terrific record and his consistency is just unreal in a format that is so tough for batters.
Although he averages just 25.20, his ODI record is pretty good. Smith is closing on 5000 ODI runs right now and averages a healthy 45.11 in the format. So, he is doing quite well in two formats right now, but he has the potential to step up in T20Is as well. Once he does that, he will be formidable.
Rohit Sharma
The Indian skipper is another batter who has churned out big runs in all three formats of the game in the last decade. Rohit is the second highest run scorer in T20Is right now and is also closing in on 10,000 ODI runs. While he averages a healthy 31.32 in T20Is, his ODI average of 48.91 is pretty good.
Rohit took some time to stamp his authority on Test cricket, but he finally arrived in style. He has scored big runs in Tests in the last couple of years, and has over 3000 runs to his name now. This is at an excellent average of 46.13. Rohit will soon turn 36 though and his retirement might be on the cards in the next couple of years.
Babar Azam
The Pakistan captain is again one of the most impressive batsmen in world cricket right now. In fact, he is compared to Kohli often, and that sums up how talented a batter he is. The 28-year-old averages above 40 in all three formats right now. He has amassed over 3000 runs in both T20Is and Tests, but his favorite format is probably ODIs, where he averages just a shade under 60. Azam is also approaching 5000 ODI runs, which is an impressive feat for any batter.
Azam is also one of the few batters in world cricket to have scored centuries in all three formats. He has a best score of 122 in T20Is, 158 in ODIs and 196 in Tests. He can easily play for another 10 years considering the shape he is in right now, and he can easily go on to smash many batting records in the coming years.
Kane Williamson
The Kiwi skipper can't be excluded from this list either. Williamson has been around ever since the Kohlis and the Sharmas, and he has gone on to become an equally influential figure in world cricket at present.
Williamson has amassed over 7500 runs in Tests, over 6500 runs in ODIs and more than 2000 runs in T20Is. But his Test average of 53.83 sums up his quality as a batter, and he has scored 25 centuries in the format on top of that as well. His T20I average of 33.29 and ODI average of 47.83 are pretty good as well. Williamson has played many great knocks over the years, especially in ICC tournaments, and he is expected to play many more innings like that in the coming time ahead.
Joe Root
The former England captain has almost completely switched off from T20Is but he continues to be one of the mainstays in the English Test and ODI sides. Root has already amassed over 10,000 runs in Test cricket, at an average of just a shade under fifty, and has more than 6000 ODI runs to his name at an excellent average of 50.05.
Combining the two formats, Root has 44 centuries to his name — 28 of which have come in Tests — and he has a total of 96 international fifties as well. Root is 32 years old right now but he is supremely fit, and looks all set to dominate at least two of the three formats for the next five years.
David Warner
The Australian southpaw is one of the most explosive batters the world has seen in the last decade or so. He has a T20I strike-rate of 141.30, but his Test strike-rate of 71.37 sums up the kind of attacking mentality he plays with. Warner averages a healthy 46.20 in Tests, despite scoring at such a brisk rate, and that sums up his quality as a batter.
The 36-year-old has played over 100 ODIs and Tests and is approaching his 100th T20I as well. His age might make it look like his retirement is coming soon, but he is still supremely fit and looks good to add some more runs to his tally for the next three years at least.
Shubman Gill
The 23-year-old top-order batter is one of the rising stars in world cricket right now. Gill has had a terrific period of the last 12 months and that has helped him in breaking into the top 10 of the ICC Men's ODI rankings for batters.
He scored a double ton in ODIs and a century in T20Is recently, and that sums up how well he has adapted to this level of cricket at such a young age. Gill is averaging over 70 in ODIs and over 40 in T20Is at present, and has centuries in all three formats of the game right now.
Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar's exploits are limited to only T20Is at present, but the way he has batted in this format he has taken the entire world by storm. He doesn't only bat at a high strike-rate but he is also extremely consistent in scoring big runs. His T20I average of 46.52 and strike-rate of 175.76 sums up how dangerous he is.
Not only that, he has already scored three T20I centuries and has 13 fifties to his name as well. All these exploits have helped him in rising to the top of the ICC Men's rankings for T20I batters.
Marnus Labuschagne
Labuschagne is the No.1 batter in the ICC Men’s batting rankings in Tests at present. The 28-year-old has amassed over 3000 runs in the format at an average of just a shade under 60, and has 10 centuries and 14 fifties to his name as well, that too in just 33 matches.
He has played just one T20I till date but he hasn't done that bad when presented with opportunities in ODIs. Labuschagne has amassed 804 runs in 27 ODI matches, at a decent average of 32.16. That includes a century and six fifties.