Captains with most centuries in ODI winning causes
Every cricketer dreams of leading their national side at some point in their international career, but only a few lucky ones get a chance to don the prestigious hat. The 50-over format has seen some legendary captains during its glorious history with a few rugged men leading the side from the front, playing decisive innings for their respective teams. Here is the list of ODI skippers with the most centuries in winning causes for their national outfit.
AB de Villiers (South Africa)- 10 centuries
South Africa’s AB de Villiers will arguably go down as one of the most gifted players to have ever played the game. Often labeled as a freak of nature, the Proteas played numerous jaw-dropping innings in his illustrious career, but his record as a captain often gets overlooked. The mercurial talent led the South African side in 103 ODIs during 2012-2017, winning 59 of those. He led by example during his tenure as 10 out of his 25 tons came in winning causes, whilst captaining the side.
Virat Kohli (India)- 17 centuries
A modern-era great, Virat Kohli will pop up pretty much in every list of batting records. The stylish batter led the team in 95 ODIs between 2013-2021, winning 65 matches with an impressive win percentage of 70.43. Nicknamed as the chase master, Kohli struck 17 centuries for India in winning causes. His record would have been further bolstered only for a century drought of over 1000 days that restricted him to the second position in this list.
Ricky Ponting (Australia)- 20 centuries
A prolific batter, a mercurial leader, and an indomitable character, Ricky Ponting had it all and he used every ounce of it leading an all-conquering Australian side in the early 2000s. Ponting is the country’s most-capped ODI player of all time, leading the side in 229 matches with an incredible win percentage of 76.03. The leading run-scorer in the 50-over format, along with 30 centuries to his name, Ponting registered 20 tons in winning causes for Australia, including his unforgettable 140* off 121 deliveries against India in the 2003 World Cup final.
