From Don Bradman to Virat Kohli, we take a look at some of the greatest batsman to ever play the game of cricket.
Comparing batters across eras is always a bone of contention amongst the cricketing fraternity but there are some players that define the generation that they were a part of.
Sir Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, or 'The Don' as he became known, has been labelled not just the 'greatest cricketer' of all-time but also the 'greatest sportsman' of all-time.
His Test match batting average of 99.94 is considered by many to be the single greatest feat of any sportsman in any major sport.
Of all players to bat 30+ times in the Test arena, Bradman stands head and shoulders above his peers, averaging nearly 40 more than his nearest rival, Herbert Sutcliffe.
The great Australian scored 6,996 Test runs with a high score of 334 across a glittering 20-year career in the game.
Bradman walked to the crease for the final time with his Test match average standing at 101.39. Needing just four runs to secure an average of 100, Bradman was dismissed for a duck for just the seventh time in his Test career.
Sachin Tendulkar
With the most Test runs in cricket history (15,921) to his name, Sachin Tendulkar, quite like Bradman, is a non-negotiable when compiling any list containing the greatest batters to play the game.
From the point of his debut in 1989, Tendulkar was a leading force in cricket all the way through to his retirement in 2013.
He became the youngest player to debut for India at just 16, averaging over 35 in his first Test series against a Pakistan attack that included Waskim Akram, Waqar Younis and Imran Khan.
Although probably known primarily for his Test match exploits, Tendulkar also holds the record for the most runs scored in ODI history.
His eye-watering total of 18,426 runs came at an average of 44.83 and, probably most strikingly, at a strike rate of 86.23, showing that Tendulkar adapted seamlessly to the modern way of batting.
Tendulkar became the first-ever player to score 100 centuries in international cricket when he blasted 114 against Bangladesh in 2012.
Sir Vivian Richards
Often in sport you get certain players that transcend their generation and Viv Richards is chief amongst those in cricket.
Still to this day, he is considered to be one of the most feared batters to ever play the game, a true pioneer for the aggressive hitting that we've become so accustomed to today.
His brutal power was there for all to see when he smashed the fastest-ever Test match century, reaching his hundred against England from a ridiculous 56 deliveries.
Less about stats, although his Test average of 50.23 is nothing to be sniffed at, Richards redefined the way players look at the art of batting and he has since been proven to have been 20-30 years ahead of his time.
Brian Lara
From one West Indian great to another, Brian Lara is a name synonymous with the great game, much for the same reasons as Viv Richards.
His poise, flair and elegance came with a ruthless ability to accumulate massive scores at a frequency rarely seen.
In the space of two months in 1994, Lara broke worlds records for the highest scores made in both Test and first-class cricket, blitzing 375 and 501* respectively.
Lara placed a fading West Indies team firmly on his back, carrying them to respectable results in the early 2000s. Facing the prospect of a series whitewash against England, Lara broke the Test match world record yet again, scoring an almost unfathomable 400* in the final match of the series in Antigua.
Virat Kohli
Although India place their cricketers on an altogether different platform than is seen in many other nations, Virat Kohli is placed higher than any before him, making him arguably the most recognisable face inside a nation that is home to more than 1.4bn people.
His glaring drive, ambition and competitiveness is only matched by his undeniable talent.
Kohli notched Test centuries in and against every nation he played against, other than Bangladesh. Impressive, yes. But what is more impressive is his proficiency in ODI cricket.
He broke records for the fewest number of matches to reach eight, nine, ten and eleven thousand runs and, in 2023, became the first player to reach 50 centuries in one-day internationals, eclipsing even the great Sachin Tendulkar.
Despite his exploits in the ODI & Test arena, Kohli is still as effective in the game's shortest format.
He lifted the T20 World Cup in 2024, scoring 76 in the final and then, in 2025, ended his 18-year quest to win the Indian Premier League when he captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to glory.
