Top 10 Best Batsmen in the World 2025-26 - Updated

Cricket has now become more popular and interesting with rules which are introduced recently. Also, most of the rules that have been recently brought into cricket have made batting easier than before. In T20s, we have seen 250+ runs getting scored regularly. The pitches that are now used are flat, and there is nothing for the bowlers. Also, now batters play more fearlessly with the types of equipment they have that allow them to play innovative shots like Switch Hit, Reverse sweep, and many more.

Batting has become the main character in cricket, and batters are now seen as the face of Cricket. Players like Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill are the best examples of that. However, with the extensive data available on every player, even a small flaw in batting technique can be exploited by opponents. As a result, maintaining consistent batting performance over a long period has become increasingly difficult in modern cricket.

How we Ranked Best Batsman in the World

The ranking should be done on some specific and universal factors so that all the best players are ranked on a fair basis. Here is the list of the factors on which the ranking has been done.

• Total Matches: It reflects several key qualities such as consistently over time, form across formats and performance under pressure.
• Most Runs: The total runs scored by any player should be the factor for selecting the best batsman in the world, as scoring runs is the primary task for any batter. It will be essential in determining the world no 1 batsman in all formats.
• Batting Average: The career batting average tells about the consistency of the batsman in the modern era, where you have to score quick runs irrespective of the situation. Maintaining a healthy average is very difficult, and only world-class batters can achieve that.
• Total Centuries - 50s/100s/200s: Cricket is a sport that is obsessed with landmarks, and scoring centuries is the landmark for any batter to prove his greatness. The more a batsman scores centuries in his career, the more he is considered to be a great batter.
• Strike Rate: The strike rate of a player also determines whether he is the best batsman in the world or not. A world-class batter always bats with intent and plays according to the situation.
• Highest Score: It determines the ability to play big innings and the skill to convert a start into daddy hundreds.

On the above factors, we will rank the Top 10 best cricket batsman in the world, who are still playing and have at least played 100 international matches for their national team.

20 Best Batsmen in the World Currently - Updated list (2025-26)

Who is the Best Batsman in the World

There are several contenders to become the best batsman in the world. It is hard to choose any one batter as different batters go through different forms. A player can't score runs in every game, but a world-class batter will always be consistent in his performances. Not only the consistency, but the strike rate of a batter adds to his proficiency.

Currently, Virat Kohli is the best batsman in the world if we go through the stats in all formats of the game. Kohli's average is excellent in all formats, and he plays efficient knocks as well. He has won a number of games for his team with his immense ability and skill. Although his numbers have drastically gone down in Test cricket, he is still world no 1 batsman in ODI cricket.

10. Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)

Pakistan’s Captain Mohammad Rizwan is in the 10th position on the list of the best batsmen in the world in all formats. He has been appointed as captain of the Pakistan National Cricket Team for consistently performing well for the team. He has played 236 international matches for Pakistan, and his average in all formats is above 40, which is quite impressive.

9. Jos Buttler (England)

England’s former ODIs captain Jos Buttler is in the 9th position on this list. He recently gave up his ODI captaincy in the last league of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He has played 380 international matches for the England team and scored a total of 11675 runs. His career average is above 30 in each format. He has also scored 11 international centuries. His attacking gameplay always helped his national team put pressure on the opponent.

8. Travis Head (Australia)

Australian all-rounder Travis Head is in the 8th position on the list of the world’s current best batsman. He has won the Player of the Match award for his brilliant performance in the last three ICC Knockout matches for the Australian team, i.e., ICC Test Championship Finals Against India, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Finals against India, and ICC World Cup 2023 semi-finals against South Africa. He has performed very consistently in recent times for the Australian team, also he was the most destructive batsman in the IPL 2024 for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He has played 167 international matches for Australia with over 7500+ runs.

7. Shubman Gill (India)

The renowned “Prince” of modern-day cricket, Shubman Gill, is in the seventh spot on the list of the best cricket batsmen in the world. He is the current world’s no 1 batsman in the ICC ODI player ranking. He has played 108 international matches for the Indian National Cricket team and scored a total of 5246 runs. He has the highest batting average in ODIs among all the active Indian players.

Shubman Gill is the fastest batter to score 2,500 runs in One Day International (ODI) cricket, achieving the feat in 50 innings. He already has 14 International centuries to his name. Also, Cricket experts around the world believe that he has the potential to be the world’s no 1 batsman in all formats.

6. Babar Azam (Pakistan)

Pakistan’s former captain Babar Azam, who has been in the top 3 in the ICC ranking for a very long time, is in the 6th position on this list. He is one of the best Pakistani batsmen ever. He has performed consistently well for his national team. Recently, it has been observed that he has struggled with his form, and to release some pressure, he has been removed from the leadership position. He had a very decent cricketing career till now, with over 318 international matches and scored 14500+ international runs. He is the fastest-ever batsman to reach 5000 ODI runs in just 98 Innings.

5. Rohit Sharma (India)

Indian Test and One Day International (ODI) captain, Rohit Sharma, is in the 5th position on this list. The world has seen two Rohit Sharma avatars, one before the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and the second after the start of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013. He became one of the most successful Opening batsmen of all time. He has played 499 International matches for the Indian Team, in which he scored a total of 19700 runs. He has 49 international Centuries to his name.

4. Steven Smith (Australia)

Australian Captain Steve Smith is in the 4th position on the list of current best batsmen in the world. He won the ICC Best Test Batsman award in the years 2017 and 2019 and the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Decade award for the period 2011–2020. He has played 350+ international matches for the Australian team and scored more than 17000+ runs with a cumulative career average of 40+, including all formats. He has the most test centuries (36) among all the active players, along with Joe Root.

3. Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

New Zealand’s former captain Kane Williamson is the 3rd best batsman in the world right now. He has played a total of 371 for New Zealand, including all the formats, and scored 19086 runs for his team. His career average has been 54.88 in the tests, 49.21 in the ODIs, and 33.44 in T20Is. There are 48 international centuries to his name. Kane Williamson is also a member of the Fab Four of the modern era.

2. Joe Root (England)

Former English captain Joe Root is in the 2nd position in this list. He is currently the world number 1 batsman in the Tests. He has the joint-most centuries in the test along with Steve Smith. He has played 364 international matches for the England national cricket Team, in which he has scored a total of 20982 runs. He has been one of the best English cricket batsmen ever.

1. Virat Kohli (India)

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli is the current best batsman in the world. He is called the King of Cricket by the fans. He has been the world no 1 batsman in all formats for a very long period. He was the only batter to have a 50+ average in all formats of cricket at one point. He has played 500+ matches for the Indian team and scored 27000+ runs across all formats.

Virat Kohli has scored the most number of centuries in ODIs with 51 centuries to his name. Recently, he became the fastest batsman to reach 14000 runs in ODIs in the match against Pakistan during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Kohli might not be at his best in Test cricket currently, but he is the world no 1 batsman in ODI format. He has won the ICC Best Batsman Award many times.

Who is the Best Batsman in the World of All Time?

Sachin Tendulkar is often regarded as the finest batsman the sport has ever seen. He is considered the “God of Cricket.” His legendary career spanned 24 years, from 1989 to his retirement in 2013. During this time, he broke countless records that still stand today. Tendulkar amassed an extraordinary total of 34,357 runs in international cricket, becoming the only player in history to score 100 international centuries, comprising 51 in Test matches and 49 in One Day Internationals (ODIs). He was also the first cricketer to record a double hundred in ODIs. Additionally, he holds the record for the most appearances in both formats, having featured in 200 Tests and 463 ODIs. Sachin Tendulkar is undoubtedly the best batsman in the world of all time.