ODI World Cup is the biggest stage for any team and player. Over the years, it has been seen that a lot of players have featured in the World Cup, but not many could do well for their team. However, this article will feature a list of those players who had some remarkable performances on the big stage.
Here we will talk about the highest individual score by a batter in ODI World Cup history. Since, the inception of T20 cricket, batters have taken more risks in ODIs as well. That is why even 200 runs have become regular in ODI cricket. There were two occasions when a batter scored a double century in a World Cup match. So let’s check it out.
Highest Individual score in ODI World Cup History
| Batter | Runs | Vs | Venue | Date |
| Martin Guptill (NZ) | 237* | West Indies | Wellington | 21 Mar 2015 |
| Chris Gayle (WI) | 215 | Zimbabwe | Canberra | 24 Feb 2015 |
| Gary Kirsten (SA) | 188* | U.A.E. | Rawalpindi | 16 Feb 1996 |
| Sourav Ganguly (IND) | 183 | Sri Lanka | Taunton | 26 May 1999 |
| Viv Richards (WI) | 181 | Sri Lanka | Karachi | 13 Oct 1987 |
| David Warner (AUS) | 178 | Afghanistan | Perth | 04 Mar 2015 |
| Kapil Dev (IND) | 175* | Zimbabwe | Tunbridge Wells | 18 Jun 1983 |
| Virender Sehwag (IND) | 175 | Bangladesh | Mirpur | 19 Feb 2011 |
| Craig Wishart | 172* | Namibia | Harare | 10 Feb 2003 |
| Glenn Turner | 171* | East Africa | Birmingham | 07 Jun 1975 |
5. Viv Richards (181 runs) vs Sri Lanka in 1987 WC
Earlier, the record for the highest individual score in the ODI World Cup belonged to Viv Richards. He scored it against Sri Lanka during the 1987 edition in Karachi. Richard scored 181 runs off 125 balls, with 16 fours and seven sixes. West Indies made 360/4 in the first inning, and Sri Lanka only managed 169/4. West Indies won that game by 191 runs.
4. Sourav Ganguly (183 runs) vs Sri Lanka in 1999 WC
Sourav Ganguly’s highest ODI score came during the 1999 World Cup against Sri Lanka. It came in the 21st game of the tournament in Taunton. Batting first, India made a huge total of 373/6. Ganguly scored 183 off 158 balls, with 17 fours and seven sixes. In response, Sri Lanka made 216 runs and lost the game by 157 runs.
3. Gary Kirsten (188 not out) vs UAE in 1996 WC
Earlier, the record for the highest individual score was held by former South African star Gary Kirsten. He smashed his career-best score, which is also the highest ODI score for his country in the 1996 World Cup. He scored an unbeaten 188 off 159 runs, with 13 fours and four sixes, against UAE. South Africa made 321/2 and restricted UAE to 152/8 to win by 169 runs.
2. Chris Gayle (215 runs) vs Zimbabwe in 2015 WC
The 2015 World Cup saw two batters score a double century in a single edition, which was never done before. One of them was Chris Gayle. He scored 215 off 147 balls, with 10 fours and 16 sixes, against Zimbabwe in Canberra. West Indies made 372/2 and dismissed Zimbabwe for 289, and won the game by 73 runs.
1. Martin Guptill (237 not out) vs West Indies in 2015 WC
Just within the month that Gayle smashed 215 in the 2015 World Cup, Martin Guptill broke his record. He did it against the West Indies in the quarterfinal of the competition in Wellington. Guptill smashed an unbeaten 237 off 163 balls, with 24 fours and 11 sixes. New Zealand made 393/6, and the West Indies got dismissed for 250 runs and lost by 143 runs.