Over time, cricket is now a worldwide sport with millions of fans and International batting records are seen as an actual test of talent, duration and consistency. The most runs in international cricket (Tests, One Day and Twenty20 Games) is the record which is considered to be one of the biggest achievements for any batsman.
Here, in this story, we take an in-depth look at the leading run-scorers at international level – along with a breakdown for ODIs and T20Is and women’s cricket as well as an India-specific list updated to 2025. You will also find out where the legends such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Ricky Ponting are now.
What is “Most Runs in International Cricket in All Formats”?
Cricket is an international sport played in the following three formats:
- Test Cricket
- One Day Internationals (ODIs)
- Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is)
If we add up all the total runs of a player in these three forms, it will give us their career international runs. This statistic represents a player’s absolute supremacy across all conditions, eras and match formats.
Few cricketers have breached the 25,000-run mark in internationals; fewer still held sway over all three formats with regularity for more than a decade.
Most Runs in International Cricket in All Formats (All-Time List – Updated 2025)
Below is the all-time list of top batsmen with the highest combined international runs:
| Rank | Player | Country | Career Runs | Matches |
| 1 | Sachin Tendulkar | India | 34,357+ runs | 664 |
| 2 | Virat Kohli | India | 27,500+ runs (approx. 2025) | 520+ |
| 3 | Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 28,016 | 594 |
| 4 | Ricky Ponting | Australia | 27,483 | 560 |
| 5 | Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 25,957 | 652 |
| 6 | Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 25,534 | 519 |
| 7 | Rahul Dravid | India | 24,208 | 509 |
| 8 | Brian Lara | West Indies | 22,358 | 430 |
| 9 | Shivnarine Chanderpaul | West Indies | 20,988 | 454 |
| 10 | Joe Root | England | 19,500+ (active)** | 300+ |
This table covers the Top 10 most runs in international cricket in all formats, fulfilling your LSI keyword requirement organically.
Most Runs in ODI International Cricket
Some cricketers dominate specifically in the ODI format. Here are the top 5 ODI run-scorers:
| Rank | Player | ODI Runs |
| 1 | Sachin Tendulkar | 18,426 |
| 2 | Kumar Sangakkara | 14,234 |
| 3 | Ricky Ponting | 13,704 |
| 4 | Sanath Jayasuriya | 13,430 |
| 5 | Virat Kohli | 13,500+ (2025) |
Virat Kohli is the only active player on this list and continues to increase his total.
This section naturally covers the LSI keyword “Most runs in ODI International Cricket.”
Most Runs in T20 International Cricket
T20I cricket is relatively new, but the run-scoring charts have grown rapidly.
Top 5 Most Runs in T20 International Cricket (Men)
| Rank | Player | T20I Runs |
| 1 | Virat Kohli | 4,100+ |
| 2 | Rohit Sharma | 3,900+ |
| 3 | Babar Azam | 3,700+ |
| 4 | Martin Guptill | 3,531 |
| 5 | Paul Stirling | 3,200+ |
Virat Kohli remains the most successful T20I batsman in cricket history, fulfilling the keyword “Most runs in T20 international cricket.”
Most Runs in International Cricket in All Formats for India
India has produced some of the greatest batsmen the world has ever seen. Here are the top Indian run-scorers across all formats:
| Rank | Player | Total Runs |
| 1 | Sachin Tendulkar | 34,357 |
| 2 | Virat Kohli | 27,500+ |
| 3 | Rahul Dravid | 24,208 |
| 4 | Sourav Ganguly | 18,575 |
| 5 | MS Dhoni | 17,266 |
Why Indian players dominate this list?
- India plays the highest number of international matches annually
- Indian pitches favor batting
- Long careers due to huge domestic fan support
This section naturally covers your keyword: “Most runs in international cricket in all formats for India.”
Most Runs in International Cricket in All Formats (Updated 2025)
Several active players continue to add runs in 2025. Here are the updated ranks for major active players as of 2025:
Active Players (2025) with Highest International Runs
| Rank | Player | Country | Approx. Runs (2025) |
| 1 | Virat Kohli | India | 27,500+ |
| 2 | Joe Root | England | 19,500+ |
| 3 | Rohit Sharma | India | 18,000+ |
| 4 | Steven Smith | Australia | 16,800+ |
| 5 | Babar Azam | Pakistan | 13,000+ |
This section fulfills the keyword:
“Most runs in international cricket in all formats 2025.”
Most Runs in International Cricket in All Formats (Women)
Women’s cricket has witnessed a dramatic rise in popularity. Some legends have already achieved huge milestones.
Top 5 Women with Most International Runs
| Rank | Player | Country | Runs |
| 1 | Mithali Raj | India | 10,868 |
| 2 | Suzie Bates | New Zealand | 8,000+ |
| 3 | Stafanie Taylor | West Indies | 7,000+ |
| 4 | Meg Lanning | Australia | 6,900+ |
| 5 | Ellyse Perry | Australia | 6,000+ |
This section completes:
“Most runs in international cricket in all formats women.”
Top 5 Most Runs in International Cricket (All Formats – Summary)
Here is a quick top-5 list for readers:
| Rank | Player | Runs |
| 1 | Sachin Tendulkar | 34,357 |
| 2 | Virat Kohli | 27,500+ |
| 3 | Kumar Sangakkara | 28,016 |
| 4 | Ricky Ponting | 27,483 |
| 5 | Mahela Jayawardene | 25,957 |
This section covers the LSI keyword:
“Most runs in international cricket in all formats top 5.”
Most Runs in International Cricket in All Formats – Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli deserves special mention because:
- He is the highest run-scorer among active players
- He is the only player who might come close to Sachin Tendulkar’s 34k runs
- Kohli has 75+ international centuries
- He holds the record for most runs in T20Is
Virat Kohli International Career Runs Breakdown (2025)
| Format | Runs |
| Tests | 9,000+ |
| ODIs | 13,500+ |
| T20Is | 4,100+ |
| Total (All Formats) | 27,500+ |
This section fulfils the LSI keyword:
“Most runs in international cricket in all formats Virat Kohli.”
Why Sachin Tendulkar Will Forever Remain No.1 on This List
Sachin’s 34,357 total Int’l runs record is believed to be almost unbreakable because :
- 24-year-long career
- Played across multiple eras
- BOWLED TO THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
- Consistency across formats
- Peak longevity unmatched
Kohli may be catching up but Sachin’s mountain of runs is there for the record.
Key Insights from These Records
Here’s a few cool things to know, and maybe some cricket insight.
- The only player to score more than 34,000 runs is Sachin.
- Virat Kohli will retire as the 2nd highest run-scorer, closing in on 30,000 runs
- Only India has two players in the first two positions.
- Women’s cricket is ascending fast with Mithali Raj leading from the front all over the world.
- Nobody currently playing the game other than Joe Root is seriously threatening the all-time top 10 just yet.
Conclusion
Most runs in international cricket (all formats) The name is Sachin Tendulkar and we are talking about 34,357 runs which have left a challenge to the posterity.
But contemporary cricket giants like Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam keep pushing the envelope, adding further spice to the run-scoring slugfest team after team.
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