Former India opener and 2002 Champions Trophy joint-winner Virender Sehwag has named his top 5 ODI batters of all-time featuring two Indians, a Pakistani legend, a South African great and a West Indies batting legend.
Starting from No.5, Sehwag went with his former rival opener Chris Gayle, whom he remembered from the Windies’ 2003 tour of India where they played seven ODIs and Gayle smashed 140, 103 and 101 in the series which the visitors won.
“At No.5, I have Chris Gayle. He’s an absolutely destructive batter. I remember he scored three centuries in a six-match series (seven matches ODI series which West Indies won 4-3). He thrashed us so much in that series, I can’t quantify it,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.
“He was the batsman I’ve seen in international cricket who can hit sixes on the backfoot against fast bowlers,” he added.
At No.4 the former Indian opener picked his former Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) teammate and Royal Challenger Bengaluru (RCB) great AB de Villiers, who still holds the record for the fastest hundred in ODIs.
“I really loved his batting style. I also like him because he used to come to me asking for bats (at Delhi Daredevils). He has played lots of great innings. He’s the only one who can go off balance but still clear the ropes.”
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At No.3 Sehwag picked Pakistan’s batting legend Inzamam-ul-Haq whom he had played against multiple times, including the thrilling 2003-04 series where Inzamam was the captain of Pakistan.
“He used to walk in No.4 and used to control the flow of the innings. I learned from him on how to take the game deep and control things. Back in the day, it was difficult to keep up when the required run rate was 7 or 8 during chases, but Inzamam made it look easy,” Sehwag said about his great rival.
Sehwag then picked Sachin Tendulkar, his former opening partner and teammate of over 14 years, at No.2. Tendulkar is still the highest runscorer in ODI and cricket history.
“He was my role model. I wouldn’t have picked up cricket, if he wouldn’t have played. I’ve grew up watching him on TV during the 1992 World Cup. Whenever I used to walk out to open with him, I used to feel “I’m walking out with the lion. All eyes are on him and I can score runs freely”” Sehwag said.
For the No.1 spot, he picked Virat Kohli, who had in 2023 surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s 49 ODI hundreds and has smashed multiple ODI records since making his debut in 2008.
“I don’t think there’s any other player like Virat Kohli. He was so consistent that he was given the title ‘Chase Master’,” Sehwag said about his former teammate.
Of Kohli’s 50 ODI hundreds, 27 have come while chasing. He also has 7,857 while batting second and his 33 Not Outs from 156 innings is a proof of his capability of finishing games.
“He took his time. I think after 2011, he completely changed his game to become that consistent,” Sehwag said.
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