Rohit Sharma snubbed, Virat Kohli picked as AB de Villiers reveals Top 5 ODI Batters of All Time
Published - 06 Mar 2025, 05:13 PM
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Former South Africa National Cricket Team player AB de Villiers has named his top five ODI batters of all time. What caught the attention of many was he didn't name current India National Cricket Team skipper Rohit Sharma, who is rated as one of the best batters in the format.
The first pick of AB de Villiers was MS Dhoni. The former India National Cricket Team skipper was one of the best players to have played the game. He arguably is the best captain that India has produced as he guided the team to wins in the ICC World Cup 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2013.
Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar feature in AB de Villiers' top five ODI batters of all time list
Apart from his leadership skills, MS Dhoni was also rated as the best finisher in the game, especially in ODIs. While batting down the order, he mustered 12303 runs at an average of over 50 to go with 73 fifties and 10 centuries.
The second name picked by AB de Villiers was his best friend Virat Kohli. It's fair to say that there is no better batter than him in the format of the current generation. The kind of impact that he has made is irreplaceable as he single-handedly has won many games for the team in difficult situations.
Virat Kohli is the second-leading run-getter for the India National Cricket Team in the ODIs. The right-hander has 14180 runs in the format at an average of over 58. He also has slammed 51 centuries in the ODIs, which is the most by any batter in the history of the game. The former captain of the team also has slammed 74 fifties.
Sachin Tendulkar was the third name in AB de Villiers' top five ODI batters of all time. The God of Cricket is the leading run-getter in the format, and even though he retired more than a decade back, his record is still intact, which speaks a lot about the impact that he made for the India National Cricket Team in 50-over cricket.
Sachin Tendulkar ended his career with 18426 runs at an average of over 44. He has the second most number of centuries in the format with 49 tons to his name. He also was no mug with the ball as he picked 154 wickets to go with two five-wicket hauls.
AB de Villiers names Ricky Ponting as one of his top pick
AB de Villiers also went on to name Ricky Ponting in his list. The former Australia National Cricket Team skipper was the best batters from his country and set the world stage on fire with his fiery batting and nature. He was the biggest match-winner for his team and also took them to multiple World Cup wins under his leadership.
Ricky Ponting scored 13704 ODI runs in his career at an average of 42. The former Australia National Cricket Team skipper slammed 30 centuries and 82 fifties in his career.
Jacques Kallis was the last name in AB de Villiers' top five ODI batters of all time
Jacques Kallis was the last name in AB de Villiers' top five ODI batters of all time. The all-rounder made an equally great impact with both bat and ball during his career, and his numbers in the format suggest why he is still called the greatest all-rounder to have played the game.
Jacques Kallis slammed 11579 runs to go with 17 centuries. With the ball, he went on to pick 273 wickets at an economy of just over 4. The all-rounder also picked 2 fifers in his career.
AB DE VILLIERS PICKS HIS TOP 5 ODI BATTERS OF ALL-TIME:
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 6, 2025
- MS Dhoni
- Virat Kohli
- Sachin Tendulkar
- Ricky Ponting
- Jacques Kallis pic.twitter.com/NFMyyQHU5e
