Veteran Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has named Virat Kohli, Andre Russell, and Steve Smith as the greatest players he has seen across the three international formats. The right-handed batter did not include modern-day greats such as Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root.
Maxwell retired from ODIs in 2025 and continues to play franchise cricket around the world. He has an active two-year contract with the Melbourne Stars and an ownership stake in the Belfast Wolves in the European T20 Premier League. He also withdrew from the IPL 2026 auction to manage his workload.
Glenn Maxwell Picks Virat Kohli as Top ODI Player
Speaking on the Keepin' It Cricket YouTube channel, Glenn Maxwell selected Virat Kohli as his top One Day International batter. Maxwell also praised Kohli’s ability to find gaps and control the field.
“The best I ever saw in one-day cricket was Kohli,” Maxwell said. “Some of the innings he’s played against us have been ridiculous. He’s just got more time. He’s able to put the ball where he wants in the field and, yeah, just a different level,” he added.
🚨Glenn Maxwell picks his all-time favorite batsman.
— Indian Cricket 🏏 (@Indiancric1cm) September 2, 2026
ODI- Virat Kohli
T-20 - Andre Russell
Test - Steve Smith pic.twitter.com/4rUjCUcVKk
Kohli holds the record for the most ODI centuries. He has scored 14,941 runs in 314 matches at an average of 58.59 and a strike rate of 93.95, with 54 centuries and 79 half-centuries. The batter surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s previous record of 49 ODI hundreds.
Kohli has also captained India in 95 ODIs, winning 65 matches. He recorded a batting average of 72.65 as captain and scored 21 of his ODI centuries while leading the team.
Glenn Maxwell Names Andre Russell for T20 Cricket
Glenn Maxwell picked Andre Russell for T20 cricket because of his power and all-round ability. Maxwell also praised Russell’s contributions with the ball and in the field, which made him a complete T20 player.
“T20, it’s probably hard to go past someone like Andre Russell or someone like that,” Maxwell said. “Just their power is ridiculous. If they get going, you can’t stop them. They hit the ball so hard and far.”
“To back that up, he was bowling 140ks and fielding in the hot spots. He was just literally the perfect cricketer.”
Russell retired from international cricket on July 17, 2025. He played 86 T20Is, scoring 1,122 runs at a strike rate of 163.80 and taking 61 wickets. He also won the T20 World Cup with the West Indies in 2012 and 2016. Russell recorded his highest T20I score of an unbeaten 71 off 29 balls against Australia.
Steve Smith Named Glenn Maxwell’s Test Choice
Glenn Maxwell chose former Australia captain Steve Smith as his favourite Test batter. “And Test cricket, it’s probably hard. I reckon it’s hard to go past Smudge,” Maxwell said.
Smith has scored 10,763 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 56.06. He has 37 centuries and 44 half-centuries, with a highest score of 239. He became the 14th player in cricket history to cross 10,000 Test runs.
Smith reached a career-high 947 points in the ICC Test batting rankings, the second-highest rating in Test history behind Don Bradman’s 961. He has also captained Australia in 44 Tests, winning 26, while averaging 68.08 with the bat as captain.
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