Most Sixes in ODI Cricket: All-Time Records and Career Leaders

Most Sixes in ODI Cricket — The All-Time Leaderboard

Rohit Sharma stands alone at the summit of ODI six-hitting. With 351 sixes across 271 matches, the Indian opener holds a commanding lead of 97 maximums over every other batter in the history of 50-over cricket. That margin is not a slender advantage — it is an entire career's worth of sixes for most international batters.

The leaderboard below captures every player who has cleared the rope 100 or more times in ODI cricket, ranked by total career sixes.

Rohit Sharma — The Undisputed King of ODI Sixes

Rohit Sharma's 351 sixes are the product of sustained excellence across more than a decade of ODI batting. Three ODI double-centuries — a feat no other batter has managed even twice — underline the sheer scale of his innings when he gets going. His sixes-per-match rate of 1.30 is the highest among any batter with 200-plus ODI caps, confirming that volume has not come at the expense of frequency.

What separates Rohit from the field is the breadth of his six-hitting. He clears the rope against pace and spin with equal comfort, down the ground and over midwicket alike. His 351 sixes have come across home and away conditions, against every major bowling attack in world cricket.

Chris Gayle — The Original Power Hitter

Chris Gayle's 254 sixes in just 199 matches reflect a strike rate of 1.28 sixes per game — fractionally below Rohit, but from a generation when ODI run rates were considerably lower. Gayle's ODI career spanned from 1999 to 2019, a period that saw the format transform from 250-par to 300-par scores. He was ahead of his time: a batter who treated the first over the same as the 45th.

Gayle holds the record for the fastest ODI century (off 50 balls, against England in the 2015 World Cup), an innings built almost entirely on sixes. His ODI six-hitting was a direct extension of his T20 philosophy: if the ball is there, it goes.

The Middle Order Power Trio: Dhoni, de Villiers, Morgan

Three names dominate positions 3-5 on this list, and all three share a common trait: they were middle-order finishers who redefined how ODI innings end.

MS Dhoni hit 210 sixes across 281 matches. His trademark helicopter shot accounted for many of them, but his six-hitting was most prolific in the death overs (41-50), where he averaged more sixes per innings than any other batter in ODI history. Dhoni's genius was selectivity — he hit sixes when they mattered most, in match-defining moments.

AB de Villiers managed 200 sixes in 213 matches for a rate of 0.94 per game. His 149 off 44 balls against the West Indies in 2015 contained 16 sixes — the most in any ODI innings. De Villiers could score 360 degrees around the ground, making him uniquely difficult to set fields for. His ODI career strike rate of 101.09 was built on this ability to find boundaries from any position.

Eoin Morgan sits fifth with 190 sixes across 215 matches, having represented both Ireland and England. Morgan's transformation of England's ODI approach after the 2015 World Cup is well documented. He led by example: his six-hitting rate jumped sharply from 2016 onwards as England adopted an aggressive template that eventually delivered the 2019 World Cup.

The Rate Leaders — Sixes Per Match

Raw totals tell one story. Frequency tells another. Among batters with 100-plus ODI sixes, the highest sixes-per-match rates belong to:

• Rohit Sharma: 1.30 per match (351 in 271)
• Chris Gayle: 1.28 per match (254 in 199)
• Kieron Pollard: 1.14 per match (129 in 113)
• Jos Buttler: 1.08 per match (182 in 168)
• Glenn Maxwell: 1.00 per match (138 in 138)

Kieron Pollard's 1.14 rate from just 113 matches is remarkable. He played fewer ODIs than anyone else in the top 20, yet maintained the third-highest frequency of six-hitting. Pollard's role as a designated finisher — rarely batting before the 35th over — makes his volume even more striking given his limited ball-facing opportunities.

Jos Buttler's 1.08 rate places him among the most explosive ODI batters of the modern era. His 182 sixes have come in just 168 matches, and he remains active — one of the few players on this leaderboard still adding to their tally.

Kohli's Contrasting Approach

Virat Kohli appears at number 10 with 170 sixes, but his 298 matches give him the lowest sixes-per-match rate (0.57) in the entire top 15. This is not a criticism — it is an illustration of how Kohli accumulates runs. His ODI average exceeds 58, built overwhelmingly on boundaries along the ground and relentless running between wickets. Kohli has proven that elite ODI batting does not require clearing the rope every over. His 170 sixes are a supplement to his game, not the foundation of it.

By contrast, Glenn Maxwell (138 sixes in 138 matches, rate of exactly 1.00) relies on the six as a primary scoring weapon. Maxwell's ODI average sits below 35, yet his strike rate exceeds 125 — a profile that is the mirror image of Kohli's.

New Zealand's Contribution

New Zealand places three batters in the top 15: Martin Guptill (184), Brendon McCullum (172), and Ross Taylor (133). Combined, that is 489 sixes — more than any other nation's representation on this list aside from India's four entrants (Rohit, Dhoni, Kohli, Yuvraj, Raina = 984 combined).

Guptill's 184 sixes include an unbeaten 237 against the West Indies in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final — an innings that contained 11 sixes and remains the highest individual score in World Cup history. McCullum's 172 came with the same fearless approach he brought to captaincy, setting the tone at the top of the order.

The 100-Six Club — Who Else Is Close?

Below the top 20, several active players are approaching the 100-six milestone in ODIs. The threshold is significant — only 20 batters in the entire history of ODI cricket have reached it. The exclusivity of this club underscores just how far ahead Rohit Sharma's 351 stands from the rest of the sport.

Among retired players, Sachin Tendulkar (195 sixes in 463 matches) and Sanath Jayasuriya (270 sixes in 445 matches) were notable omissions from this Cricsheet-derived dataset due to incomplete early-career ball-by-ball records. Their tallies, drawn from official ICC career records, would place Jayasuriya second and Tendulkar sixth on the all-time list.

FAQ

Who has hit the most sixes in ODI cricket?

Rohit Sharma holds the record with 351 sixes in 271 ODI matches, leading Chris Gayle (254 in 199 matches) by 97 sixes.

Which batter has the best sixes-per-match rate in ODIs?

Among batters with 100-plus ODI sixes, Rohit Sharma leads with 1.30 sixes per match, followed by Chris Gayle (1.28) and Kieron Pollard (1.14).

How many batters have hit 200 or more sixes in ODI cricket?

Four batters have reached 200 ODI sixes: Rohit Sharma (351), Chris Gayle (254), MS Dhoni (210), and AB de Villiers (200).

Does Virat Kohli feature on the all-time ODI sixes list?

Kohli ranks 10th with 170 sixes in 298 matches. His lower sixes-per-match rate (0.57) reflects his ground-stroke-heavy batting style rather than a reliance on clearing the boundary.