Top 5 list of batters with most hundreds at No. 3 position in ODIs ft. Virat Kohli

Veteran Team India batter Virat Kohli scored a brilliant hundred at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Wednesday, December 3 in the second ODI of the three-match series against South Africa. The right-handed batter struck 102 off 93 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes, to go with his 135 off 120 in the opening match of the series in Ranchi.

After India lost yet another toss and were asked to bat first, they posted a highly competitive 358-5 on the board. Rohit Sharma (14) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (22) failed to convert starts, but Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad (105 off 83) added 195 for the third wicket to put the hosts on top. Kohli's fine innings came to an end when he was caught at long-on off Lungi Ngidi's bowling.

Kohli, who notched up his 53rd ODI ton on Wednesday, tops the list of batters with most hundreds in the format at the No. 3 position. In this feature, we look at the top five list of batters with most centuries at the one-down position in one-dayers.

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#5 Jacques Kallis, Joe Root and Kane Williamson (13)

South Africa's Jacques Kallis, England's Joe Root and New Zealand's Kane Williamson are joint fifth on the list of batters with most tons at the No. 3 position in ODIs. In 200 innings at the No. 3 slot, Kallis scored 7,774 runs at an average of 45.72, with 13 tons. His best of 139 came off 142 balls against West Indies in Johannesburg in February 2004 and featured 11 fours and three sixes.

In 111 innings at the No. 3 position in ODIs, Root has scored 4,845 runs at an average of 50.46, with 13 hundreds and 31 half-centuries. His best of 166* came off 135 balls against West Indies in Cardiff in June 2025. The 220-minute knock included 21 fours and two sixes.

In 140 innings, while batting at No. 3 in ODIs, Williamson has totaled 6,504 runs at an average of 51.61, with the aid of 13 hundreds and 44 half-centuries. The former Kiwi captain's best of 148 came off 154 balls against West Indies in Manchester in the 2019 World Cup. The sublime knock included 14 fours and a six.

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#4 Kumar Sangakkara (18)

Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara features at No. 4 on the list of batters with most hundreds at the No. 3 position in ODIs. In 238 innings, he amassed 9,747 runs at an average of 44.71 and a strike rate of 80.50, with the aid of 18 hundreds and 66 half-centuries.

Sangakkara's best score at No. 3 was 169, which came against South Africa in Colombo in July 2013. The southpaw's 137-ball knock featured 18 fours and six sixes. The former Sri Lankan captain also smashed 134* off 135 balls against England at The Oval in the 2013 Champions Trophy, hitting 12 fours.

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#3 Babar Azam (20)

Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam has notched up 20 centuries and 31 half-centuries while batting at the No. 3 position in ODIs. In 116 innings, he has scored 5,811 runs at an average of 57.53 and a strike rate of 87.46.

Babar's best of 158 was registered against England in Birmingham in July 2021. The 139-ball knock featured 14 fours and four sixes. The right-handed batter also struck 100 off 109 balls against Australia in Adelaide in January 2017.

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#2 Ricky Ponting (29)

Australian legend Ricky Ponting is second on the list of batters with most numbers at the No. 3 position in one-day cricket. In 330 innings, he hammered 12,662 runs at an average of 42.48 and a strike rate of 80.73, with 29 hundreds and 74 fifties.

Ponting best of 164 came off 105 balls against South Africa in Johannesburg in March 2006. This was the same match in which the Proteas created history by chasing 435. Ponting's 154-ball knock featured 13 fours and nine sixes. He also struck 140* off 121 balls against Team India in the 2003 World Cup final.

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#1 Virat Kohli (46)

Apart from holding the record for most ODI tons, Kohli also holds the record for most centuries scored at No. 3 in the one-day format. In 240 innings, he has amassed 12,371 runs at an average of 60.94 and a strike rate of 94.42, with 46 hundreds and 65 half-centuries.

Kohli's best of 183 came off 148 balls against Pakistan in Mirpur in the 2012 Asia Cup. The stunning knock featured 22 fours and a six. The Indian batting superstar also smashed 166* off 110 deliveries against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram in January 2023. The superb knock included 13 fours and eight sixes.