Virender Sehwag ignores English and Australian legends as he names his Top-5 ODI batsmen
Published - 18 Feb 2025, 10:50 AM | Updated - 18 Feb 2025, 11:34 PM
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Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag found himself in a real dilemma when he was asked to name just five of his favorite ODI batters from his playing days. Virender Sehwag has shared the field with countless greats across the world, so choosing just five was no easy task at all for him.
The former explosive batter mentioned that even his Indian cricket team has five best ODI batters, but after much thought, he finally picked five names—players he admired and his favorite players who might just be favorites for fans as well.
Sehwag’s top five ODI batters included two Indian players, one from South Africa, one from the West Indies, and even one from Pakistan. He surprisingly overlooked the Australian and England players while unveiling his ultimate list during a conversation with Cricbuzz.
Virender Sehwag picks his all-time Top-5 ODI batters
The former Indian batter has picked the modern-era legend Virat Kohli as his first pick, followed by his idol Sachin Tendulkar. Sehwag’s list also featured former Pakistani captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, South African great AB de Villiers, and West Indies legend Chris Gayle.
Sehwag started with the No. 5 batter, and he is none other than the ‘Universal Boss’ Chris Gayle, saying he was such an amazing batter and opener. The West Indies legend finished his ODI career with 10,480 runs at an average of 37.83 and a strike rate of 87.19.
The former Indian recalled the West Indies tour of India in 2002-03 when Gayle hit three centuries in six matches. Sehwag said, “He was the first player I saw at the international level who hit sixes from the back foot and even against the fast bowlers.”
He's the only batter who can hit sixes off balance: Virender Sehwag on AB de Villiers
Well, AB de Villiers took the fourth spot in Sehwag’s all-time top-five ODI batters list. The legendary Indian opener said that he liked the way De Villiers played, and another reason was he used to come to him to ask for the bats, and he never refused.
He mentioned that the former South Africa captain played some amazing innings for his country and even against India, but his 360-degree cone where he used to play, it was wonderful to watch. Notably, AB de Villiers had an impressive ODI career, scoring 9,577 runs at an average of 53.50 and a strike rate of 101.09.
Sehwag said in praise of the Proteas legend, “He's the only batter who can hit sixes off balance. And I haven't seen that in world cricket. Even in today's cricket, there can be one or two players like that. But at that time, there was no such batsman.”
My role model is Sachin Tendulkar: Sehwag
Former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq is the third player on Sehwag’s list. One of the best Asian ODI batters, Inzamam, has 11739 runs to his name in 350 innings in the format. Sehwag said that Inzamam used to control the match and he learned the art of controlling the game and taking it to the end from the Pakistani legend.
Well, Virender Sehwag then picked the “everyone’s favorite” Sachin Tendulkar as his second-best ODI batter. Tendulkar scored 18,426 runs at an average of 44.83 in 463 ODIs. He stated: “My role model is Sachin Tendulkar. If I'm sitting here and talking about cricket, that’s only because of him. If he hadn't played, I wouldn't be here. I started watching him from the 1992 World Cup.”
Virender Sehwag added, “He used to bat on TV, and I used to copy him outside. He has a lot of stories. You know how it feels when you walk on the ground with him? You're walking in the jungle with a lion. Everyone's eyes are on the lion. And I used to steal my runs. This was the fun of playing with him.”
Virender Sehwag showers rich praise on Virat Kohli
In the end, it was Virat Kohli who earned the top spot in Sehwag’s top-5 ODI batters’ list with his mind-blowing batting in the format. Kohli has so far scored 13963 runs in his 285 innings. Virender Sehwag praised Virat Kohli and called him the best of today's era.
He highlighted the former Indian skipper’s consistency and his match-winning knocks while chasing. Sehwag said that Kohli wasn’t the same player early on but transformed after 2011-12 and became one of the all-time greats.
Virender Sehwag signed off by saying, “Virat Kohli is my number one batter. I don’t think a player like him would come in the future. A consistent player who has been given the tag of Chasemaster. This tag hasn't been given to any other player yet. Because of all the matches he has chased, he scored 100. He won a lot of matches for India. He played so many amazing innings.”
