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Who is the Goat of Cricket? Let's witness these legendary cricket players

kaiggy12 16 January 2025 09:17

Who is the Goat of Cricket

Games are played globally; they promote a healthy life and competition. Everyone wants to play games and to become a renowned player. Continuous struggle and hard-work make some player to be known throughout the world. They become the focus of attention for many fans and media. In the world of cricket some players ranks top due to their performance in batting, bowling and numbers of centuries such as Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Babaz Azam, Mithali Raj, Jacques Kallis and Don Bradman. The abbreviation 'GOAT' is used denote perceptional performance in the field of cricket.

Cricket

What is GOAT and its Definition

It stands for "Greatest of All Time. It can be defined as", a cricketer who excels in batting, bowling, number of centuries, wickets, awards and dominance over peers is called GOAT.”

List of players considered the GOAT of Cricket History

According to the ESPN Cricinfo, Sky Sports Cricket and BCCI reports the considered GOATs are:

Rank	Player	Matches	Runs	100s	50s	Avg	Wickets	BB	CT
1	Virat Kohli	869	44,395	70	220	53.6	5	1/13	431
2	Sachin Tendulkar	664	34,357	100	164	53.8	201	5/32	469
3	MS Dhoni	540	23,891	6	107	47.8	38	1/14	728
4	Jacques Kallis	519	27,534	62	97	49.9	565	6/54	331
5	Babar Azam	308	14,370	31	106	50.4	2	1/1	148
6	Brian Lara	430	22,358	53	111	47.8	0	-	284
7	Mithali Raj	333	12,368	8	85	49.3	8	3/4	378

Virat Kohli - India

At the moment, Virat Kohli has been arguably the best performer, playing a key role in all competitions of cricket, including IPL and international cricket, with outstanding scoring ability and strong leadership. He is one of the players whose overall all-around ability best aligns with the criteria of the GOAT.

He holds the record for the most runs scored in the IPL with 8,004. He also holds the record for the most centuries in the IPL. He took parts in 237 IPL. He played for Royal Challanger Bangalore franchise since 2008.

Format	Matches	Runs	100s	50s	Wickets
Test	123	9,230	30	31	0
ODI	295	13,906	50	72	5
T20I	125	4,188	1	38	4

Sachin Tendulkar - India

Sachin Tendulkar remains the highest century scorer in international cricket, with a career spanning over two decades. In the early days, he was known as the Goat, and now, he has retired but has become a legend like Jordan in basketball.

Format	Matches	Runs	100s	50s	Wickets
Test	200	15,921	51	68	46
ODI	463	18,426	49	96	154
T20I	1	10	0	0	0

MS Dhoni - India

Mahendra Singh Dhoni India’s most successful captain and one of the best leader world cricket has seen. Looking at his career performance records, he can be considered one of the greatest wicketkeepers in the GOAT category. Dhoni scored 4,876 runs in 90 Tests at an average of 38.09 with a top score of 224. He has 256 catches and 38 stumping.In 350 ODIs, Dhoni scored 10,773 runs at an excellent average of 50.53.

Format	Matches	Runs	100s	50s	Wickets
Test	90	4,876	6	33	0
ODI	350	10,773	10	73	38
T20I	98	1,617	0	2	0

Jaques Kallis - South Africa

Jaques Kallis scored 13,289 runs at an astounding average of 55.37 in 166 tests. He scored 45 centuries and 58 half-centuries with a top score of 224. He also got 292 wickets at 32.65. In ODIs, Kallis scored 11,579 runs at 44.36 with 17 centuries and 86 half-centuries. He picked up 273 wickets at 31.79.

Format	Matches	Runs	100s	50s	Wickets
Test	166	13,289	45	58	292
ODI	328	11,579	17	86	273
T20I	25	666	0	5	12

Brian Lara - West Indian

Brian Lara scored 11,953 runs in 131 Tests at an average of 52.88. His top score of 400* against England in 2004 is still the highest score in tests. He broke Matthew Hayden’s score of 380 after the left-handed Australian overtook his score of 375 a few months ago. Lara has 34 centuries and 48 half-centuries to his name.

Format	Matches	Runs	100s	50s	Wickets
Test	131	11,953	34	48	0
ODI	299	10,405	19	63	0
T20I	0	0	0	0	0

Babar Azam - Pakistani

Babar Azam is Pakistani GOAT cricketer. He scored the most runs for Pakistan in a World Cup in 2019 with 474 runs . He also top ODI scorer for Pakistan in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022. He scored 569 runs in the 2023-24 Pakistan Super League.

Format	Matches	Runs	100s	50s	Wickets
Test	57	4190	9	29	2
ODI	123	5957	19	34	0
T20I	128	4223	3	36	0

Mithali Raj is the GOAT of Cricket Women

Mithali Raj is the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket, and ESPN ranked her as one of the greatest female cricketers of all time. She has received several national and international awards, including the Wised Leading Woman Cricketer in the World in 2017, Arjuna Award in 2003, the Padma Shri in 2015, and Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2021.

Format	Matches	Runs	100s	50s	Wickets
Test	12	699	1	4	0
ODI	232	7805	7	64	8
T20I	89	2364	0	17	0

Who is the Goat of Cricket in India?

Virat Kohli , MS Dhoni and Suryakumer Yadav are considered to be the GOAT of India in 2025. All three players were very well-balanced on the pitch, with Virat Kohli and Suryakumer Yadav being better at hitting the ball and MS Dhoni being the goalkeeper with his defensive and receiving abilities.

Summarize

Throughout the history of cricket, there have been amazing and brilliant cricketers from different eras who have captivated fans with their superb cricketing skills and balanced performances, and have provided a lot of value to the team and society. There are many factors that go into judging the Goat comprehensively, and as such, it is very objective and it is difficult to give a single result. The final decision still depends on the judging criteria in the minds of the fans.