Most Runs In International Cricket: Test cricket is almost 150 years old, with the inaugural Test match being played in 1877. Almost 100 years later, the maiden men’s ODI was played in 1971. And a new format was introduced in the early years of the 21st century, with T20Is making debut in 2005.
Cricket has certainly been a more batter-dominated game, not least for the fact that the basis of a victory in a contest is which team scores more runs regardless of how many wickets they have lost.
Several batsmen have attained the status of a legend, and a handful are seated on a plane even higher. In this blog, we will look at the five highest run-scorers in the history of international cricket.
Top 5 Batsmen Who Scored Most Runs In International Cricket:
5. Mahela Jayawardene – 25957 runs
In his 18-year career from 1997 to 2015, Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene was a rock for his side in the middle order. He featured in 652 internationals, including five matches for Asia XI.
Jayawardene amassed 25957 runs in international cricket and raised 54 centuries and 136 half-centuries.
4. Ricky Ponting – 27483 runs
Hailed as arguably the best captain in cricket’s multi-format history, Ricky Ponting is Australia’s all-time highest run-scorer in international cricket with 27483 runs, which also includes 115 runs—a century—in one game for ICC World XI.
Ponting registered 71 international hundreds to go with 146 fifties.
3. Kumar Sangakkara – 28016 runs
Left-handed batsman Kumar Sangakkara is Sri Lanka’s leading run-scorer in international cricket. Often also taking on the responsibility of wicket-keeping, Sangakkara scored 28016 runs in 594 international matches, which included a few games for ICC World XI and Asia XI. The southpaw notched up 63 international centuries along with 153 fifties.
2. Virat Kohli – 28068* runs
Virat Kohli is the only player on this list whose average in international cricket is above 50 (at the time of writing) and the only active player.
Kohli, who made his debut in 2008, has so far plundered 28068 runs for India across the three formats. Holder of the most centuries in ODI cricket, Kohli is arguably the greatest ODI batsman of all time.
The right-hander from Delhi currently sits with 84 centuries to his name, behind only one man.
1. Sachin Tendulkar – 34357 runs
Sachin Tendulkar remains the Mount Everest of international runs, with 34357 runs under his belt across a career spanning 24 years and 664 matches.
He also holds the record for the most centuries—a perfect 100 hundreds—and for most Test tons—51.
FAQs:
Who has scored the most runs in international cricket?
Sachin Tendulkar is the record holder for the most international runs with 34357 runs.
Can Virat Kohli break Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most runs?
Kohli is still some 6000 runs behind Tendulkar. Given the fact that Kohli, aged 37, now only plays ODI cricket, it seems unlikely that he will surpass Tendulkar in terms of runs, but there’s a possibility of him touching Tendulkar’s 100 centuries record as he has 84 international hundreds so far.
(Stats updated till 12 January, 2026)
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