Ever since the introduction of the rating system to determine the best players in the world, crossing 900 rating points in both ODI and Test has been considered as the benchmark for a player to classify as a world-class batsman or bowler. The batsmen who have crossed the 900+ mark once in their career even in only one format of the game are very few. Words cannot do justice to the amount of talent required to reach the pinnacle in two formats of the game and here we look at five legends who did just that,
5. Hashim Amla ; Test – 907, ODI rating – 901
A true legend of the modern day game, Amla set countless records in ODI which only Virat Kohli has broken till now. Amla’s batting average was an astonishing 59 when he reached his career best ODI rating in 5th September, 2012. He had scored 3216 runs including ten centuries until that point.
He reached the number one ranking in tests February 2013 and then secured his all-time high rating in October 2013. His test average since 2012 had skyrocketed, mainly due to his performance against England away from home.
4. Brian Lara ; Test – 911 , ODI rating – 907
The West Indies batting maestro is remembered best for his huge scores in tests but he was also a phenomenal ODI player. He enjoyed a superb run of form in white ball cricket right from his debut and in March 1993, he registered his personal best rating points of 907 He was ranked the best test batsman after only 16 matches as his record haul of 798 runs against England in 1994 propelled him to the top.
In 2003, he scored 1344 runs in just 19 innings and this resulted in him reaching career-high rating points of 911.
3. AB de Villiers ; Test – 935, ODI rating – 902
AB de Villiers was ranked the best ODI batsman in the world for the first time in 2010 but he secured the personal best ratings point of 902 during the 2015 World Cup. Two innings which showed why he is far above the competition came in a space of two months, both against the West Indies.
The first one was a record 44 ball 149 at home and a 66 ball 159* in Sydney. His ODI achievements often overshadowed his test performances as evident by his peak rating of 935 which is only bettered by Kohli and Steve Smith among the modern-day batsman.
2. Virat Kohli ; Test – 937, ODI rating – 911
2014 England tour was the lowest point in Kohli’s career and ironically he reached the pinnacle of his test career in the 2018 test series in England where he scored over 600 runs. Since then, he has fallen behind Steve Smith in tests but he still has a lot of time left to catch up with his Aussie compatriot.
His ODI achievements need no explanation as Kohli’s low point in ODI’s is the career-best of most players. His peak came in 2018, a year in which he averaged 133, a record which only he is capable of breaking.
1. Viv Richards ; Test – 938, ODI rating – 935
Sir Vivian was so far ahead of the chasing pack as his destructive style combined with his consistency made him a nightmare for any bowler. In tests, He was at the absolute peak of his powers in 1975-1976. In 1975, he scored 556 runs at home against India at an average of 92.67 and then went to England in 1976 and scored 829 runs at an average of 120 and strike rate of 70.
In December 1985, he reached 935 ODI rating points, an all-time record tally. He did so after scoring over 1200 runs in 1985 at an average of 62 and strike rate of 93.
