Every year, the International Cricket Council announces results of various awards based on the performance of the previous year. It includes awards for each format and across the formats as well. It announces ICC ODI Cricketer of the year every year. Meanwhile, it also announces ICC ODI and Test team of the year. Some players who have performed consistently well have featured in these teams more often than others.

Also Read: Most runs in ODI as captain

No surprise that Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli is leading the charts along with Mr. 360 AB De Villers. Both of them have won the ICC ODI Cricketer of the year award 3 times each. While MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara have won the award 2 times each. However, Kevin Pieterson, Andrew Flintoff, Michael Hussey, Mathew Hayden, Quinton De Kock, and Rohit Sharma won the award 1 time each.

In this article, we will take a look at the Most ICC ODI Cricketer of the year awards winners' complete list. The award was first introduced in the year 2004 when England all-rounder Flintoff won the award. The cricketers have performed well through the year to receive the award. Let's have a look at the complete list of the players.

Read Also: ICC World Test Championship Table

Most ICC ODI Cricketer Of The Year award winner :

ICC does not announce the ODI Cricketer of the year award last year due to the lack of matches in the rise of COVID-19. However, this time ICC will announce the winner of the award in the month of January. So, currently Indian batsman Rohit Sharma is holding the award for the last two years for his exceptional run in the last ODI World Cup 2019.

Also Read: Is Ruturaj Gaikwad India's next biggest star

N.B: The stats are accurate as of 13/12/2021.

Winning the Player of the Match (POTM) award is one of the biggest individual honours in cricket. It is given to the player who makes the most impact in a match—whether through batting, bowling, fielding, or an all-round performance. Over the years, many legends have dominated world cricket, but only a few have consistently delivered match-winning performances on home soil.

With his 52nd ODI hundred, Virat Kohli clinched his 32nd POTM award on home soil in international cricket, a new record surpassing the tallies of Jacques Kallis and Sachin Tendulkar.

Let's have a look at the batters with Most POTM Awards at Home in International Cricket.

Also Read: India vs South Africa ODIs: Who has scored the most runs in this fixture? Top 5 list

Most POTM Awards at Home in International Cricket

4. Ricky Ponting | 25

Former Australian top order batting star Ricky Ponting is at the sixth place. Ponting had won 49 Player of the Match awards during his career, out of which 25 came in Australian soil. One of the modern masters of cricket, Ricky Ponting was a part of the most dominating Australian teams ever. He himself captained what can be certainly is the best team to play cricket for 10 years. Ponting currently is third in the list of most test runs and most test centuries.

3. Sachin Tendulkar | 31

Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar comes third on this list winning the Player of the Match award 31 times on Indian soil during his career. Sachin has also record for most Player of the Match awards (70) in international cricket. The God of cricket has 100 international centuries and is the leading run-scorer in international cricket with 34,357 runs.

2. Jacques Kallis | 31

Former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis also won the POTM award at home, winning it 31 times. He is fourth on the overall list (57). While there are great cricketers whose contributions can’t be justified by mere numbers, Kallis isn’t one of them. He boasts of being the only player to retire with 20,000+ international runs, 500+ wickets and 300+ catches.

Kallis still has the most Man-of-the-Match awards in Tests, with 23 awards to his name.

Also Read: India under Gautam Gambhir coaching

1. Virat Kohli | 32

India star batter Virat Kohli played a sensational knock of 135 in the first ODI of the three-match series against South Africa. With this inning, he brought up his 83rd hundred in international cricket and his 52nd ton in the one-day format. Kohli was adjudged the Player of the Match for his phenomenal hundred and this was the 70th time that he was handed the award in international cricket. 

This was also Kohli's 32nd POTM award at home. With this, he shattered an all-time record of most POTM awards at home, surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis.

The Indian cricket team is gearing up for a crucial three-match ODI series against South Africa, starting November 30, 2025. The white-ball leg brings massive excitement as the iconic duo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli make their much-awaited comeback to the ODI setup after a break. With regular opener Shubman Gill ruled out due to a neck injury, KL Rahul has been handed the responsibility to captain the Men in Blue.

Following a disappointing Test whitewash earlier in the tour, India will be determined to bounce back and assert dominance against a side they recently overcame in the dramatic ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2025 final.

So, before the India vs South Africa ODI series to begin, let's take a look at the top 5 batters with the most runs in India vs South Africa ODIs.

Also Read: Result of every India vs South Africa ODI series

Most Runs in India vs South Africa ODIs | Top 5 List

1. Sachin Tendulkar | 2001 Runs

Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for most runs in ODIs between India vs South Africa. He scored 2001 runs in 57 matches against the Proteas, the only one with over 2,000 runs in this storied rivalry, averaging 35.73. During this period, Sachin scored five centuries and eight half-centuries, including an unbeaten 200-run innings. He was a part of India vs South Africa rivalry from 1991 to 2011, scoring 1453 runs in South Africa alone.

2. Jacques Kallis | 1535 Runs

Jacques Kallis is South Africa's leading run-scorer against India. In 34 innings, Kallis scored 1535 runs, including two centuries and 11 half-centuries. Kallis played his last ODI against India in 2013. Out of the 17 hundreds he scored in ODI cricket, Jacques Kallis got two of them against India. To sum up, Kallis remains South Africa’s most productive ODI batter against India even since a decade of his retirement from the game.

3. Virat Kohli | 1504 Runs

Indian run-machine Virat Kohli's bat always speaks against South Africa. In 29 innings, Virat has scored 1504 runs against South Africa, averaging over 65, the highest among all India vs South Africa ODI players with more than 300 runs to their names. He has scored five centuries and eight half-centuries against South Africa. Kohli made 558 of his 1504 in a single away series against South Africa back in 2018, where his three match-winning hundreds engineered India’s 5-1 series win. Moreover, Kohli’s 558-run tally from that tour remains the highest aggregate by any batter in a single bilateral series by a landslide.

4. Gary Kirsten | 1377 Runs

Former South African opener Gary Kirsten has served as the head coach of the Indian team, lifting the 2011 World Cup. He has played 26 ODIs against India between the years 1995 to 2001, scoring 1,377 runs at an average of 62.59. He scored nine half-centuries and four centuries. His highest score against India was 133* which came in Johannesburg back in October 2001 in the opening match of the 2001 South Africa ODI tri-series.

Also Read: India under Gautam Gambhir coaching

5. AB de Villiers | 1357 Runs

In 32 matches, AB de Villiers scored 1357 runs against India at an average of 48.46. De Villiers also holds the record for most sixes in ODIs between the two teams, with 41. Among all players in India vs South Africa ODI matches, no batter has scored his runs even remotely close to the strike rate of 111.13. He got six hundreds against India, including three in a single series from 2015, where he scored 358 runs at an average of 89.50.

After winning the T20 World Cup last year, in July, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed Gautam Gambhir as the head coach of the Indian team in place of Rahul Dravid. Since then India have won seven Tests, lost 10 and drawn two under Gautam Gambhir coaching. Again all focus has shifted to him once again after the team's embarrassing defeat in the second Test by 408 runs under his coaching as South Africa completed a 2-0 clean sweep at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday. India were bowled out for 140 runs in their second innings while chasing the 548-run target. After this, India endured its second home Test series defeat under head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Also Read: Rishabh Pant vs MS Dhoni: Comparison in Test cricket

Fifth Test defeat at home in the last nine games

The team is in bad shape under Gambhir's coaching as India is going through a challenging transition phase, this was their fifth Test defeat at home in the last nine games. Under Gambhir, India witnessed a new low last year when they lost a Test series for the first time in 12 years after New Zealand thrashed them 3-0. The defeat was also first for India at home under new skipper Shubman Gill, who took over the captaincy role following the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

India lost to Sri Lanka after 18 years

Last year, in July-August, the Indian team went on a tour of Sri Lanka. This was India's first series after Gautam Gambhir became the coach. After winning the T20 World Cup, India's youth team had reached Sri Lanka.

India then had to face 0-2 defeat in the ODI series. After 18 years, the Indian team had lost to Sri Lanka in a bilateral series.

Embarrassing defeat in front of New Zealand

When the New Zealand came to India last year, everyone must have felt in the beginning that by winning this series easily, we will present a strong claim for the World Test Championship final.

On the contrary, India lost 0-3 in this series. This was the first time since 2012 that India lost a Test series at home. New Zealand not only defeated India but also whitewashed them.

Also Read: Most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket by an Indian bowler

Lost Border Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years

Team India had been winning the Border Gavaskar Trophy continuously for the last 10 years. They defeated the Kangaroos in four consecutive series. During this period, Australia was defeated twice at their own home. India also got the good fortune of defeating Australia in Gabba after almost 30 years.

Now this victory chariot of India has broken under the coaching of Gautam Gambhir. The last time Australia won the Test series against India was in the year 2014-15.

Let's take a look at India's result under Gautam Gambhir's coaching.

India's T20I record under Gautam Gambhir coaching

Matches: 26, Won: 20, Lost: 3, NR: 3

• Sri Lanka vs India (3 T20Is): India won 2-0
• India vs Bangladesh (3 T20Is): India won by 3-0
• South Africa vs India (4 T20Is): India won by 3-1
• India vs England (5 T20Is): India won by 4-1
• Asia Cup 2025 (6 T20Is): India won Asia Cup by beating Pakistan in the final
• Australia vs India (5 T20Is): India won 2-1

India's ODI record under Gautam Gambhir coaching

Matches: 14, Won: 9, Lost: 4, NR: 1

• Sri Lanka vs India (3 ODIs): India lost 0-2
• India vs England (3 ODIs): India won 3-0
• ICC Champions Trophy 2025 (5 ODIs): India won CT 2025 by beating New Zealand in the final
• Australia vs India (3 ODIs): India lost 1-2

India's Test record under Gautam Gambhir coaching

Matches: 18, Won: 7, Lost: 9, NR: 2

• India vs Bangladesh (2 Tests): India won 2-0
• India vs New Zealand (3 Tests): India lost 0-3
• Australia vs India (5 Tests): India lost 1-3
• England vs India (5 Tests): Series Drawn by 2-2
• India vs West Indies (2 Tests): India won 2-0
• India vs South Africa (2 Tests): India lost 0-2

There have been very few wicketkeepers in the Indian Test team who have also made a significant impact with the bat. Legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rishabh Pant have played the role of wicketkeeper-batsman adeptly in Test cricket, leading to frequent comparisons between the two. Now, the debate has once again begun as to who is the better in Test cricket between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rishabh Pant. Here’s a comparison of Rishabh Pant vs MS Dhoni in the longest format of the game.

Also Read: Most Sixes in Test Cricket

Rishabh Pant vs MS Dhoni | Test Record

Rishabh Pant has better records than MS Dhoni in Test cricket. Pant has played 48 matches, scoring 3456 runs at an average of 43.74. Dhoni scored 4,876 runs in 90 matches at an average of 38.09. Dhoni had six centuries in Test cricket while Pant now has 8.

Rishabh Pant vs MS Dhoni | Wicketkeeping Record in Test

Both Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni, apart from being exceptional batters for team India, have been just as impressive behind the stumps as well. After 90 Test matches, MS Dhoni had a total of 294 dismissals, where he did 38 stumpings and took 256 catches behind the stumps. On the other hand, Rishabh Pant, after 48 Tests has a total of 244 dismissals to his name that includes 15 stumpings and 158 catches as wicket keeper.

Also Read: Most Hundreds in Test cricket among active players

Dhoni's stature in Indian cricket goes well beyond his contributions behind the stumps or with the bat. He led India to victory in the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy and was captain when the team first rose to the No.1 spot in the Test rankings in 2008. When asked about the comparisons, Pant made it clear that he is only concentrating on his own game.

Boundaries are tests are not at all frequent. Test cricket is a game of patience, dedication, and enthusiasm. Unlike other formats of cricket, cricketers avoid playing aggressively. Cricketers get an ample amount of time so they make sure to use it wisely without any hurry or wrong decisions. Therefore the boundaries are very rare in a test match. In a test match on an average of 10 sixes are hit by the cricketers. In many matches, the cricketers couldn't even score 1 six.

Let's check out the cricketers with the most sixes in test.

Also Read: Most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket by an Indian bowler

Most Sixes in Test Cricket

1. Ben Stokes | 136

England Test captain Ben Stokes tops the list by being the cricketer with the most sixes in test, smashing 136 sixes in the longest format of the cricket. He surpassed England coach and former New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum.

In 115 Test matches, Stokes scored a total of 7,032 runs at an average of 35.69 with 14 centuries and 35 fifties. His individual best score in Tests is 258. Known for hitting sixes under pressure, Stokes has consistently turned games around in key moments, like his iconic 2019 Ashes innings at Headingley.

2. Brendon McCullum | 107

Brendon McCullum comes second in this list. The former cricketer of New Zealand made his Test debut in 2004 and played 101 matches till his retirement in 2016. He smashed 107 sixes in the test cricket. Not only this, he became the cricketer to score the fastest test century (54 balls) in the Test history.

McCullum is considered as one of the fittest players of the modern time. No wonders why he became the first cricketer to appear in 100 consecutive test matches since his debut. Also he is the first Kiwi cricketer to score a triple century.

3. Adam Gilchrist | 100

Aggression was probably Gilchrist's biggest power. He could single-handedly destroy the opposition bowling lineup with his aggressive and attacking batting. Not to mention he is one of the greates wicketkeeper-batsman in the history of cricket. Both batting and wicket-keeping like a pro were something that glued the audience to the screen every time he was on the field.

Gilchrist was definitely the biggest game-changer and impactful player of the Australian Cricket team of his time. Since his Test debut in 1999, he played 96 matches till 2008 and smashed a total of 106 sixes.

4. Tim Southee | 98

Former New Zealand pacer Tim Southee ended his career with 98 sixes, the joint-fourth-most in Test cricket history, level with West Indies’ Chris Gayle. 

Southee has scored 2,245 runs in Tests since making his debut in 2008, including seven fifties. However, he is one of the finest bowlers New Zealand have produced, with 391 wickets, only behind Richard Hadlee, who has 431 scalps. He announced his retirement from all format of the cricket in 2024.

5. Chris Gayle | 98

Have you ever watched cricket if you haven't seen Gayle smashing sixes most effortlessly? The former Caribbean cricketer did not show mercy to the bowlers in any forms of cricket. Definition of Chris Gayle on the field means boundaries everywhere. He is known for being one of the best hitters ever. Gayle is the first cricketer to score a century in all three formats of cricket.

Gayle made his Test debut in 2008 and played till 2014. During this time he appeared in 103 test matches and scored 98 sixes.

Also Read: Ravindra Jadeja achieves 4000 runs and 300 wickets in Test cricket, becomes second Indian after Kapil Dev to do so

6. Jacques Kallis | 97

Hands down he is the greatest all-rounder of all time. Be it batting, or bowling, Kallis did everything effortlessly. Only four players have scored 5 consecutive Test centuries and he is one of them. Since his test debut in 1995, he played 166 test matches till 2013 and scored 97 sixes. He proved his skills every time and took the South African team out of trouble in the best way possible.

7. Rishabh Pant | 92

India vice-captain Rishabh Pant broke another record on Day 2 of the first Test against South Africa at the Eden Gardens. He became the Indian batter with the most sixes in Test cricket, smashing 92 sixes in just 83 innings. He also crossed Virender Sehwag’s record of 91 sixes in 108 innings. 

The left-hander’s aggressive style has transformed India’s Test batting template, and this milestone further reinforces his status as one of the game’s most impactful stroke-makers. Since his debut in 2018, Pant scored 3,454 runs in 48 matches at an average of 44.28 with 8 centuries and 18 half-centuries.

8. Virender Sehwag | 91

In the early 2000s, the term "Aggression" justified the performance of Virender Sehwag on the field. The former Indian cricketer had some other connection with boundaries. He could stand on the pitch and smash the opponents effortlessly. Also, he scored runs at the fastest pace in Test matches. The highest score by an Indian player in Test cricket is 319 runs and the holder of this record is Virendra Sehwag. 

Out of his 23 test centuries he scored 150+ runs in 13 of them. He was often considered not suitable for Test for his aggressive approach on the field, but he proofed everyone wrong and became the eighth cricketer to smash most Test sixes. In 104 test matches, he scored 91 sixes.

9. Angelo Mathews | 90

Angelo Mathews has been a pillar in Sri Lanka’s middle order, mixing solid defense with sudden aggression. His six-hitting ability often helps shift momentum in his team’s favor. Having hit 90 sixes, Mathews uses his power wisely, especially when batting with the tail or consolidating after a collapse.

Also Read: Most Wickets in Test Cricket in 2025

10. Rohit Sharma | 88

Former India captain Rohit Sharma has cleared the ropes 88 times in Tests. While his white-ball reputation as a six-machine is well established, it took time for Rohit to settle into Test cricket. But once he started opening the batting in 2019, his Test career transformed.

Rohit combined elegance with power, and while his strike rate in Tests is quite naturally lower than in T20s or ODIs, his ability to launch spinners over midwicket or go aerial through cover remained intact right up until his retirement from the red-ball game. Rohit started his Test career in 2013 and scored 4301 runs at an average of 40.57 with 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries. However, Rohit took retirement from the format in 2024.