Now let's have a look at the top five batsmen, who dominated ODI cricket before the World Cup 2015 trophy changed hands from India 2011 to Australia in 2015.
1. Kumar Sangakkara
The Legend himself with scoring 4529 runs in 106 matches at an average of 48.69, Sri Lanka's former skipper was the leading run-scorer between the 2011 and 2015 World Cups. Wisden's Leading Cricketer in 2011 and 2015, Sangakkara maintained a strike rate of 83.40 and hit 10 centuries and 31 fifties during that time.
2. Virat Kohli
The time period between the 2011 and 2015 World Cups saw the current poster boy of Indian cricket Virat Kohli - rise through the ranks. At a staggering strike rate of 94.39, Kohli scored 4278 runs in 96 matches
3.Dilshan
Dilshan scored 3945 off 104 matches between the 2011 and 2015 World Cups and hit 10 centuries along the way. The batsman, who invented 'Dilscoop', brought up his highest ODI score of that period when he scored 160* in a 2012 ODI game against India in Hobart.
4.Mahela Jayawardene
Although his ODI batting average was comparatively low than his contemporaries, between the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, Jayawardene scored 3102 runs in 100 ODIs. He scored four ODI tons and 21 fifties and maintained a strike rate of 83.11 during the period. Jayawardene's highest score came in a 2011 ODI against England at Headingley, where he beautifully crafted 144 off 150 deliveries.
5. AB de Villiers
With a mind-boggling strike rate of 107.82, AB de Villiers scored 2936 runs in the 60 ODIs he played between the 2011 and 2015 World Cup. He scored eight centuries and 17 half-centuries during that time period. Although his career-best ODI score of 176 came in 2017 against Bangladesh, De Villiers's top score at that time was 149. In a record-breaking 2015 ODI against the West Indies, De Villiers brought up the fastest ODI ton in just 31 balls. Scoring at a strike rate of 339, De Villiers came in to bat in the 39th over and scored 149 off just 44 deliveries, hitting nine boundaries and 16 maximums in the process.
