AB de Villiers Races Past Sourav Ganguly, is Fastest to Reach 8000 ODI Runs
AB de Villiers became the fastest batsman to reach 8000 ODI runs during the third ODI against New Zealand in Durban, surpassing the likes of Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara.
AB de Villiers continue to shatter records in ODIs. The South African added one more feather to his cap when he became the fastest to reach 8000 ODI runs during the third ODI against New Zealand in Durban on Wednesday. (SCORECARD)
De Villiers went past 8000 runs in just his 182nd innings, 18 innings quicker than India's Sourav Ganguly and 28 innings quicker than Sachin Tendulkar, the leading run-scorer in ODIs.
Ganguly scored 8000 runs in his 200th ODI innings against West Indies in Nagpur in 2002. Before Ganguly, Tendulkar had achieved the mark in his 210th ODI innings during the 1999 World Cup match against Pakistan in Old Trafford.
FASTEST TO 8000 ODI RUNS
| PLAYERS | MATCHES | INNINGS | OPPONENTS | VENUE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB DE VILLIERS | 190 | 182 | NEW ZEALAND | DURBAN | 26/8/2015 |
| SOURAV GANGULY | 208 | 200 | WEST INDIES | NAGPUR | 9/11/2002 |
| SACHIN TENDULKAR | 217 | 210 | PAKISTAN | MANCHESTER | 8/6/1999 |
| BRIAN LARA | 216 | 211 | AUSTRALIA | ST GEORGE'S | 1/6/2003 |
| MS DHONI | 243 | 214 | NEW ZEALAND | WELLINGTON | 31/1/2014 |
De Villiers currently holds the record for the fastest 50, fastest 100 and fastest 150 in ODIs. The team that has suffered the most at the hands of this right-handed genius has been the West Indies.
He smashed the fastest ODI off just 16 balls during the second ODI against West Indies in Johannesburg in January 2015. He had broken the 19-year mark off 17 balls set by Sanath Jayasuriya against Pakistan in Singapore in 1996.
To make matters worse, De Villiers went on to score a century off just 31 balls, breaking the previous mark of the fastest century off 36 balls that was accomplished by New Zealand's Corey Anderson against West Indies in Queenstown in January 01, 2014.
In that same match, de Villiers smashed 16 sixes in an innings, equalling the mark set by Rohit Sharma against Australia in Bangalore in 2013.
In the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, de Villiers proceeded to smash the fastest 150 in ODI history and once again, the West Indies were at the receiving end. He got to the landmark in just 64 balls and South Africa smashed 408/5, which was the highest ODI score in Australia for a brief period.