Table of Contents
The who is the greatest cricket player of all time is a subjective decision that frequently changes depending on individual viewpoints, statistical data, and the players’ contributions to the sport. But some names always come to mind: Jacques Kallis (South Africa) and Virat Kohli (India) and Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) and Sir Donald Bradman (Australia) and Sachin Tendulkar (India) and Dhoni and others.
Who is the greatest cricket player of all time?
Sir Donald Bradman(Australia): A Legacy Unrivaled
Donald Bradman
greatest cricket player Bradman, who is widely considered to be the best batsman of all time, had an outstanding Test batting average of 99.94. Just this statistic differentiate him from his successors and peers. For comparison, the next highest batting average for players with notable Test careers is approximately 60.
Career Span:
Compared with modern players who have longer careers due to advancements in training and fitness Bradman’s career which spanned from 1927 to 1949 was highlighted by consistency and excellence over a comparatively brief period of time.
Record-Breaking Performances:
In Test matches he built up 6996 runs overall with a highest score of 334 and He was a formidable opponent because of his unmatched ability to dominate bowlers in his time.
Test match performance
| Batting | Bowling | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition | Matches | Runs | Average | High Score | 100 / 50 | Runs | Wickets | Average | Best (Inns) |
| England | 37 | 5,028 | 89.78 | 334 | 19/12 | 51 | 1 | 51.00 | 1/23 |
| India | 5 | 715 | 178.75 | 201 | 4/1 | 4 | 0 | – | – |
| South Africa | 5 | 806 | 201.50 | 299* | 4/0 | 2 | 0 | – | – |
| West Indies | 5 | 447 | 74.50 | 223 | 2/0 | 15 | 1 | 15.00 | 1/8 |
| Overall | 52 | 6,996 | 99.94 | 334 | 29/13 | 72 | 2 | 36.00 | 1/8 |
First-class performance
| Innings | Not Out | Highest | Aggregate | Average | 100s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashes Tests | 63 | 7 | 334 | 5,028 | 89.78 | 19 |
| All Tests | 80 | 10 | 334 | 6,996 | 99.94 | 29 |
| Sheffield Shield | 96 | 15 | 452* | 8,926 | 110.19 | 36 |
| All First Class | 338 | 43 | 452* | 28,067 | 95.14 | 117 |
| Grade | 93 | 17 | 303 | 6,598 | 86.80 | 28 |
| All Second Class | 331 | 64 | 320* | 22,664 | 84.80 | 94 |
| Grand Total | 669 | 107 | 452* | 50,731 | 90.27 | 211 |
Test Batting average
99.94 is the highest batting average in a career (minimum 20 innings).
201.50 (1931–32) was the highest series batting average (minimum 4-Test series); 178.75 (1947–48) was the second-highest.
He reached the crease 80 times and scored 29 hundreds during his Test career. In his final Test match, at The Oval in 1948, he needed just four runs to reach an average of 100 but he was out for 0 on the second ball, a rare instance of human frailty that only strengthened his enduring appeal. Bradman made all those fast runs in a way that confused opponents and captured spectators.
Greatest cricket player Sachin Tendulkar (India)
Greatest cricket player Tendulkar, who is known as the “God of Cricket,” has set many records, including the most international runs and hundreds.
On 24 April 1973 Achin Ramesh Tendulkar was born in Mumbai India and He began playing cricket at the age of eleven and demonstrating an early interest in the sport. From an early age his talent was visible and he progressed fast through India’s junior cricket .
Sachin Tendulkar
At the age of 15 he scored a century in his first game for Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy team.
greatest cricket player Sachin International Career
Tendulkar then 16 years old made his international cricket debut for India against Pakistan on November 15 1989 and Over the following 20 years became one of the most celebrated cricketers in history.
He played a total of 664 international matches in both test and one-day formats during his career, which ran from 1989 to 2013.
greatest cricket player Sachin Achievements and Records
Tendulkar is the player with the most runs in both One Day International (ODI) cricket (18426) and Test cricket (15921) and Most international cricket hundreds His 100 international hundreds show his reliability and ability to perform effectively under pressure.
When Tendulkar reached 200* against South Africa in 2010 he became the first player in 50-50 cricket history to reach a double century.
A member of the Indian team that won the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup India won the tournament after a 28 year wait and Tendulkar’s career peaked with this victory.
greatest cricket player Sachin Run
| Tendulkar’s Test cricket record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | Runs | Best | Average | 100s | 50s | |
| Home | 94 | 7216 | 217 | 52.67 | 22 | 32 |
| Away | 106 | 8705 | 248* | 54.74 | 29 | 36 |
| Match results in Tendulkar’s international career | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | Tied | No result | |
| Test | 200 | 72 | 56 | 72 | 0 | – |
| ODI | 463 | 234 | 200 | – | 5 | 24 |
| T20I | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
Greatest Cricket Player Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)
On 17 April 1972 Muttiah Muralitharan the greatest cricket player in history was born in Kandy Sri Lanka into a Tamil Hindu Hill Country family and Muralitharan started playing cricket at Kandy’s St. Anthony’s College and He moved from medium pace bowling to off spin bowling when he was fourteen years old. With 800 wickets, the most in Test cricket history he might be the greatest bowler of all time.
He took over 100 wickets in his final two seasons of school cricket, earning him the title of Bata Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in 1990 -91.
Muttiah Muralitharan
In 1992 he made his Test debut for Sri Lanka against Australia and immediately became a top bowler and during his career he gained popularity for his unique bowling technique which involved an odd extension of his arm that sparked debates about whether it was legal.
Greatest Cricket Player Muttiah Muralitharan Records and Achievements
In cricket, Muralitharan has a lot of records and He is the only bowler with over 530 One Day International (ODI) wickets and 800 Test wickets and On 3 December 2007 he broke Shane Warne’s record for most Test wickets and on 22 July 2010 he took his last Test wicket. For an unprecedented 1711 days over 214 matches his exceptional skill kept him at the top of the Test bowling rankings.
The highest number of Test wickets (800)
The highest number of wickets (534) in One-Day International cricket
The greatest total of 1347 international wickets in Test, ODI, and T20 cricket[
The highest 5-wicket total in a Test-level innings (67).
The highest number of 10-wicket hauls in a Test match (22). Against every Test-playing country, he is the only player to take ten wickets per game.
matches (the only bowler to surpass 708 wickets, in fact).
The only player to take ten wickets in four straight Test matches. He did this twice.
The only player who has taken 50 or more wickets against every country that plays Test cricket.
Greatest Cricket Player Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
Born on 16 October 1975 in Pinelands Cape Town Jacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricket coach and former professional player.
Kallis started playing cricket at a young age and he is among the best all around players With more than 10000 runs and more than 200 wickets in both Tests and ODIs and Many people consider him to be greatest player in cricket of all time and his remarkable all around abilitie.
On 14 December 1995 Kallis made his Test cricket debut for his country against England and during his outstanding career which took almost 20 years Kallis achieved a number of important achievements that established his standing among cricket’s greatest players of all time.
Jacques Kallis
He is considered as one of the greatest batsmen in Test history due to his outstanding batting average of 13289 runs at an average of over 55 in 166 Test matches and During his Test career Kallis also took 200 catches and took 292 wickets with his right arm fast medium bowling style.
Kallis the greatest cricket player has a special reputation After an incredible career that had a significant impact on cricket Kallis announced his retirement from international play on 30 July 2014 and He was one of the few players to score a century in their final Test match finishing his career against India in December 2013 and becoming the only cricket player to score over 10000 runs and take over 250 wickets in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Test matches.
| Kallis’s results in international matches | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Drawn | No result | |
| Test | 166 | 82 | 42 | 0 | 42 | – |
| ODI | 325 | 208 | 102 | 5 | – | 10 |
| T20I | 17 | 10 | 7 | – | – | – |
Greatest Cricket Player Virat Kohli (India)
Greatest Cricket Player Virat Kohli, who was born on November 5, 1988, is an Indian cricket player who represents his country in Test and One-Day International matches. After India won the 2024 T20 World Cup, Kohli retired from the T20I format. He bats right-handed and occasionally bowls medium-pace right-arm .
In international cricket, Kohli is ranked fourth and third in the T20I Match and third in ODI and has the highest IPL run total and He holds the record for the most ODI hundreds and is ranked second in cricket’s list of international hundreds and He is considered one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
In the Indian Premier League he plays domestic cricket for both Delhi and Royal Challengers Bengaluru and In 2013 Kohli was ranked first in the ICC rankings for ODI batsmen. He also achieved the same achieve in T20I rankings in 2015. He was named the best Test batsman in 2018, becoming the only Indian player to be ranked first in all three formats.
In ten years, he is the first player to reach 20,000 runs. He was named the male cricketer of the decade by the ICC in 2020. Kohli has garnered ten ICC Awards making him the most awarded player in International Cricket history. He was named the ICC ODI Player of the Year four times, in 2012 and 2018 and 2023 and Also, he won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy twice in 2017 and 2018 which is given to the ICC
Kohli became the fastest player to reach 27000 runs in international cricket and He broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record in the second Test match against Bangladesh at Green Park Stadium taking 594 innings instead of Tendulkar’s 623 and Now, only Ricky Ponting Kumar Sangakkara and Virat Kohli have achieved this feat in international cricket.
In 2024 Kohli invested in and became a co owner of FC Goa an Indian Super League team.
The London based social networking company Sport Convo hired Kohli as a brand ambassador and shareholder and His involvement was meant to raise awareness of the platform which focused on providing a space for sports fans to engage and establish connections with one another.
Greatest Cricket Player Virat Kohli Performance summary
In international cricket, Kohli has scored 81 hundreds, including seven double hundreds.He has one hundred in Twenty20 Internationals and 51 hundreds in One Day Internationals (ODIs) which equals Sachin Tendulkar’s record, and seven double hundreds in Test cricket.
In 2014 and 2016 Kohli became the only cricket player to win the T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament title twice and His 51 ODI hundreds put him at the top of the field. 15 On November 2023, during the 2023 Cricket World Cup semifinal he broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI tons and became the first player to score more than 700 runs in a single tournament edition and Also Kohli is second only to Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 centuries in international cricket with 82 centuries.
In 2018 Kohli broke the previous record and became the first player to reach 1000 ODI runs in 11 innings in a calendar year.
In 2022 he achieved yet another milestone by becoming the second player after Mahela Jayawardene to reach 1000 runs in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and During the match against Bangladesh he became the player with the most goals in the history of the T20 World Cup.
List of records
Greatest Cricket Player Virat Kohli Records of tests
With 40 victories in 68 games, he has the most wins as India’s captain.
An Indian player’s most Test double-hundreds (7).
The majority of Test double-hundreds (3) in two years in a row (2016 & 2017).
With 937 points in 2018, he had the highest rating of any Indian player in the ICC Men’s Test rankings.
ODI records
Most centuries of ODI (51)
The majority of ODI hundreds while pursuing (27)
India’s most ODI centuries (22)
765 runs in 2023, the most in a single ODI World Cup edition.
8000 runs in 175 innings 9000 runs in 194 innings 205 innings of 10,000s 222 innings of 11000 242 innings of 12000 and 267 innings of 13,000s were the fastest scores and now fastest 14000 runs against Pakistan in 2025 Champions Trophy.
Greatest Cricket Player Virat Kohli T20I records
highest runs in a single T20I World Cup tournament (319 runs in 2014) and greatest career T20I batting average (48.69) and
The fastest times are up to 3000 runs in 81 innings 3500 in 96 innings and 4000 in 107 innings.
player of the series (7 times) and player of the match (15 times) most frequently.
Greatest Cricket Player Virat Kohli IPL records
Indian Premier League record for most runs (8,004)
highest number of runs in a single IPL season (973 in 2016).
Only one player once with Chris Gayle and twice with AB de Villiers has been a part of three double century or more stands.
most runs (1,030) against the Delhi Capitals.
The league’s most hundreds (8) and in a single season (4)
Awards
National
2013: The second highest sporting honor the Arjuna Award.
India’s fourth highest civilian honor the Padma Shri was given out in 2017.
2018: India highest sporting honor the Khel Ratna Award.
International
Sir Garfield won the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Decade Sobers Trophy from 2011 to 2020.
Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy ICC Cricketer of the Year 2017–2018.
The ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade 2011 to 2020.
ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: 2012 2017 2018 2023.
The ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year for 2018.
Team of the Year for the ICC Men’s One Day International: 2012 2014 2016 2017 (captain) 2018 2019 and 2023.
Captains of the ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year in 2017 2018 and 2019.
ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year for 2022.
The ICC Spirit of Cricket for 2019.
The captain of the 2011 to 2020 ICC Men’s Test Team of the Decade.
The ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Decade 2011to 2020.
The ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Decade 2011–2020.
ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Player of the Tournament: 2023.
ICC Men’s T20I World Cup Player of the Tournament: 2014 2016.
Polly Umrigar Award for International Cricketer of the Year: 2011–12 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 and 2017–18.
Wisden was the best cricket player in the world in 2016 2017 and 2018.
ICC Men’s Player of the Month October 2022.
CEAT International Cricketer of the Year in 2011–12 2013–14 2017–18 and 2018–19.
Orange in the Indian Premier League Maximum runs: 2016, 2024.
International Player of the Year for Barmy Army: 2017–2018.
ODI Batting Performance of the Year: 2012.
Greatest Cricket Player Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni ( born 7 July 1981 Ranchi) is a cricketer who plays as a right handed batter and a wicket keeper and Widely regarded as one of the most successful wicket keeper batsmen and captains he represented the Indian cricket team. Dhoni made his first class debut in 1999 for Bihar . He made his debut for the Indian cricket team on 2004 December 23 in an ODI against Bangladesh and played his first test a year later against Sri Lanka and He scored 17266 runs in international cricket m including 10 000+ runs at an average of more than 50 in one day matches.
MS known as the Thala (leader) of CSK led the franchise to ten finals in their first 14 IPL seasons and won them 5 titles 2010 2011 2018 2021 and 2023.
He has also led them to the playoffs in 12 editions, making them the most consistent performing team in the IPL.
In a surprise move on the eve of the opening IPL 2024 season, Dhoni stepped down as CSK captain and was replaced by Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Greatest Cricket Player Dhoni’s ODI record
| Mat | Runs | Best | Bat Avg. | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Catches | Stumpings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 127 | 4351 | 183* | 53.71 | 91.60 | 7 | 25 | 350 | 116 | 99 | 48 |
| Away | 145 | 4520 | 101* | 50.78 | 83.98 | 1 | 37 | 324 | 73 | 126 | 46 |
| Neutral | 78 | 1902 | 139* | 44.23 | 87.60 | 2 | 11 | 152 | 40 | 96 | 29 |
| Total | 350 | 10773 | 183* | 50.57 | 87.56 | 10 | 78 | 826 | 229 | 321 | 123 |
Greatest Cricket Player Dhoni captaincy record
| Type | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | Tied | No result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 60 | 27 | 18 | 15 | – | – |
| ODI | 200 | 110 | 74 | – | 5 | 11 |
| T20I | 72 | 41 | 28 | – | 1 | 2 |
Greatest Cricket Player MS Dhoni Records and achievements
Dhoni Records and achievements in Tests
- Most runs 4876 by an Indian wicket-keeper
- Most number of sixes 78 by an Indian captain
- 294 – Most dismissals by an Indian and fifth most by any wicket-keeper
Dhoni Records and achievements in ODIs
- Most wins 110 by an Indian captain and second most overall
- Second most runs 6641 as captain
- 200 Third most number of matches as captain
- First player to pass 10,000 runs with an average of over 50
- Most not-outs 84
- 183* Highest score by a wicket-keeper
- 100* with Bhuvneshwar Kumar Highest eighth wicket partnership for India
- Most dismissals in an innings (6) and career (432) by an Indian wicket-keeper
- 123 wickets Most stumpings by any wicket-keeper
Mahendra Singh Dhoni Records and achievements in T20Is
- 72 matches Second most matches as captain
- Most 20-20I innings 76 and runs 1,153 before scoring a 50
- (34) wickets Most stumpings as wicket-keeper
- 5 Most catches as wicket keeper in a T20I innings
Mahendra Singh Dhoni Records and achievements in Combined
- Most international matches as captain 332
- Most stumpings (195) and only wicket-keeper to make 150 stumpings
- Third most 829 dismissals as a wicket-keeper
- 359 Sixth most sixes in career
Greatest Cricket Player Mahendra Singh Dhoni Career Stats
Mahendra Singh Batting & Fielding Stats
| Format | Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 90 | 144 | 4876 | 224 | 38.09 | 59.11 | 6 | 33 | 544 | 78 |
| ODIs | 350 | 297 | 10773 | 183* | 50.57 | 87.56 | 10 | 73 | 826 | 229 |
| T20Is | 98 | 85 | 1617 | 56 | 37.60 | 126.13 | 0 | 2 | 116 | 52 |
| FC | 131 | 210 | 7038 | 224 | 36.84 | – | 9 | 47 | – | – |
| List A | 423 | 364 | 13353 | 183* | 50.38 | – | 17 | 87 | – | – |
| T20s | 391 | 342 | 7432 | 84* | 38.11 | 135.64 | 0 | 28 | 517 | 338 |
Mahendra Singh Bowling Stats
| Format | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | Ave | Econ | SR | 5w | 10w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 90 | 7 | 96 | 67 | 0 | – | 4.18 | – | 0 | 0 |
| ODIs | 350 | 2 | 36 | 31 | 1 | 31.00 | 5.16 | 36.0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20Is | 98 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| FC | 131 | – | 126 | 87 | 0 | – | 4.14 | – | 0 | 0 |
| List A | 423 | – | 63 | 53 | 2 | 26.50 | 5.04 | 31.5 | 0 | 0 |
| T20s | 391 | 1 | 12 | 25 | 0 | – | 12.50 | – | 0 | 0 |
Greatest Cricket Player MS Dhoni T20 Stats
Greatest Cricket Player Mahendra Singh Dhoni Batting & Fielding T20 Stats
| Tournament | Teams | Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 50s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL | 2 | 264 | 229 | 5243 | 84* | 39.12 | 137.53 | 24 | 363 | 252 |
| Champions League | CSK | 24 | 23 | 449 | 63* | 29.93 | 141.19 | 1 | 28 | 26 |
Greatest Cricket Player Mahendra Singh Bowling T20 Stats
| Tournament | Teams | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL | 2 | 264 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Champions League | CSK | 24 | 1 | 12 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 12.50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |