Sachin Tendulkar to Ricky Ponting: Players with Most Man of the Match in ODI Cricket

Like all team sports, cricket has a scope for one player to impact a contest heavily who is more often than not awarded the Man of the Match award. In ODIs, the player who frequently made the difference was former Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, who has won the most man of the match in ODI cricket.

Having served the nation for over two decades, Tendulkar inspired generations with his batting and carried the nation’s hope across six ODI World Cups. While he had some of cricket’s most iconic players as his contemporaries in the likes of Brian Lara, Sourav Ganguly, Ricky Ponting, and more, none could match Tendulkar's consistency in the 50-over format.

Below we look at the top 10 cricketers with the most Man of the Match Awards in ODI cricket.

1. Sachin Tendulkar | 62 Man of the Match Awards

Popularly called the “Master Blaster”, Sachin Tendulkar was arguably the best cricketer in the world when it comes to the ODI format. Making his ODI debut way back on December 18, 1989, against a star-studded Pakistan side that had some fiery pacers, Tendulkar finally hung his boots on March 18, 2012, with his last match also against the Men in Green.

Image for Sachin Tendulkar//Getty

Sachin Tendulkar’s glorious 23-year-old cricketing career is littered with ODI centuries, which tallies to as many as 49 - the second-highest in the format. His highest-ever ODI score is an unbeaten 200 runs against South Africa in 2010 when he became the first player ever to reach that milestone. The Mumbai lad ended his career with a whopping 18,426 ODI runs, which makes him the highest run-scorer in ODI history. He played six ODI World Cups in over two decades and even ended up winning the 2011 WC edition.

Tendulkar has 62 Man of the Match (MoM) awards in 463 ODI games and 15 Man of the Series awards in the same format. He has a distinct record of winning the MoM against every ICC full member.

2. Sanath Jayasuriya | 48 Man of the Match Awards 

While former Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has elevated the label of a “legend” to unmatchable heights in Sri Lankan cricket, the country’s former batter Sanath Jayasuriya is surely counted among the greats to ever wear the iconic blue jersey. The southpaw debuted in ODIs on December 26, 1989, against Australia and took his time to cement a perfect batting position that aligned with his strengths.

Image for Sanath Jayasuriya//Getty

Everything started to come together during the 1996 World Cup when Jayasuriya’s explosive batting changed the outlook of opening batting forever in white ball cricket, thus making him the most dangerous batsman in the world at the time. Throughout his career, the Matara lad accumulated 28 centuries and 13,430 runs in ODIs. His best knock in the 50-over format came in 2000 against India, when Jayasuriya scored 189 runs. What made him invaluable was his left spin bowling, using which he took an unbelievable 323 wickets in ODIs, leading him to an elite club of very few, special cricketers who had 10,000 runs as well 300 wickets in the ODI format. He retired from the format on June 28, 2011, against England.

3. Virat Kohli |  41 Man of the Match Awards

The only active cricketer on this list and by far the best batsman cricket has seen in the last decade, Virat Kohli is a global superstar who has made cricket more popular than ever across the world. A prolific run machine, Kohli is fondly called the king of cricket for his ability to dominate all formats of the game. Debuting in the 50-over format on August 18, 2008, against Sri Lanka, Kohli has taken over the mantle of being India’s hope from Tendulkar.

Image for Virat Kohli//Getty

Virat Kohli, also known as the God of Cricket, achieved a feat during the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final, which was deemed unattainable for a long time. He scored his 50th ODI century to overtake Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most centuries in the 50-over format. As of now, Kohli is the third-highest run scorer in ODIs with 13,906 runs, which shows his century conversion rate. Kohli’s highest score in ODIs is 183, a knock that came against Pakistan in 2012 while chasing. Having won the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, Kohli has all the ICC titles.

4. Jacques Kallis | 32 Man of the Match Awards

One of the best all-rounders to ever grace the game of cricket, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis sits fourth on the list of winning the most Man of the Match Awards in ODI cricket. He debuted for the Proteas on January 9, 1996, and has since remained an essential part of the South African squad in ODIs and Test cricket.

Image for Jacques Kallis//Getty

As a fast bowling all-rounder, Kallis’ longevity was astounding as he played for 18 years scoring 17 centuries and amassing 11,579 runs in ODIs. Apart from this, he also took 273 wickets with his specialty being breaking crucial partnerships in the middle overs with inch perfect seam bowling. His highest ODI score of 139 runs came against West Indies in 1998, thus proving his pivotal role for South Africa especially in bilateral series that kept a top ODI side for years.

5. Ricky Ponting | 32 Man of the Match Awards

One of Australia’s most successful batsmen as well as captain, Ricky Ponting once ruled ODI cricket with his aggressive batting in the middle order that brought down the best of bowling attacks. He made his ODI debut on February 15, 1995, against South Africa and was instantly hit under the captaincy of Steve Waugh.

Image for Ricky Ponting//Getty

Ponting tallied 13,704 runs in his career and scored 30 centuries and currently sits  as the fourth-highest run scorer in ODIs after Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara and Virat Kohli. Ponting’s best ODI inning was a 164-run knock against South Africa in 2006 where the batsman seemed invincible. As a captain, Pointing led Australia to two ODI World Cups in 2003 and 2007, a feat that only he achieved as a captain. He eventually hung his boots on February 19, 2012, against India.

6. Shahid Afridi | 32 Man of the Match Awards

Easily the most explosive batsman to come out of Pakistan camp, Shahid Afridi debuted in ODIs on October 2, 1996, and became a cricketing legend over the next 19 years. A middle-order batsman who had a total disregard for bowlers and match situation, Afridi’s single-minded focus was to send the ball over the rope. And when unchecked, he could bring destruction on the opponent, as was evident from his 37-ball-102-runs knock against Sri Lanka in 1996. He held the record for scoring the fastest century for over 17 long years.

Image for Shahid Afridi//Getty

His uber-aggressive batting style led to fans and critics naming him “Boom Boom”. Like most other names on this list, Afridi was never a lover of stats and he retired with only six centuries in ODIs, with his best innings coming against Bangladesh in 2010, when he scored 124 runs.

Not only is Shahid Afridi counted amongst the most handsome cricketers in the world, but also among the great all-rounders of the game. Apart from being a handy batsman, Afridi was a lethal leg-spinner who took 395 wickets in the 50-over format. While he never won the ODI World Cup for the Men in Green, his all-round abilities were fundamental in Pakistan’s 2009 T20 World Cup winning captain.

7. Sir Vivian Richards | 31 Man of the Match Awards

Before Sir Vivian Richards came, ODI batting was just an extension of Test batting where batsmen waited for the ball to get old before getting ahead with the scoreboard. All that changed when this West Indian dominator made his ODI debut on June 7, 1975 against Sri Lanka. Widely regarded as the most complete batsman to ever grace the game, who had all the shots in his arsenal and the ability to execute them to perfection as well.

Image for Sir Vivian Richards//Getty

Richards’ fearless batting inspired a generation of cricketers and made cricket a batsman’s game. His best ODI knock, which is also believed to be the greatest 50-over knock ever, is an unbeaten 189 against England in 1984, where Sir Richards single-handedly won the game for the Men in Maroon from the throes of defeat. He retired on May 27, 1991, with 11 ODI centuries and 6,721 runs. He was a part of West Indies’ 1975 and 1979 ODI World Cup winning campaigns.

8.  Sourav Ganguly | 31 Man of the Match Awards

One of India’s earliest captains to bring a serious impact on foreign soil, Sourav Ganguly led from the front with his aggressive batting and brought in a mindset that helped India punch above their weight. Debuting in ODIs on January 11, 1992, against West Indies, Sourav Ganguly quickly became a mainstay in ODIs for his ability to pick spinners early on and destroy bowlers like Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and more.

Image for Sourav Ganguly//Getty

Ganguly tallied 11,363 runs in ODIs and a whopping 22 centuries. His partnership with Tendulkar was once a part of folktales for Indian cricket fans. His fiery knock of 183 runs against Sri Lanka during the 1999 ICC ODI World Cup was iconic as he brought down one of the best bowling attacks of that era. As a medium fast bowler, Ganguly also has 100 wickets.

Leading India between 2000 and 2005, Ganguly took India to the 2003 ODI World Cup final and won the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy. It is widely believed that he had created the ODI Indian team that would later win the 2011 World Cup.

9. Kumar Sangakkara | 30 Man of the Match Awards

If the likes of Sanath Jayasuriya and Arjuna Ranatunga had brought about a revolution in Sri Lanka cricket and made the team a household name, it was Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who carried on the torch for more than a decade. Debuting on July 5, 2000, against Pakistan, Sangakkara became the national team’s first-choice wicket-keeper batsman until he retired on March 18, 2015, against India.

Image for Kumar Sangakkara//Getty

An elegant batsman who could score centuries almost at will, Sangakkara tallied 14,234 runs in ODIs while hitting 25 tons. His best ODI knock is an unbeaten 169 against India in 2005 where he exhibited both patience and aggression. The opening batsman was pivotal in Sri Lanka’s 2011 World Cup campaign where they reached the final. He is also the only batsman to have scored four consecutive centuries in ODIs, which came during the 2015 World Cup.