“Sachin Tendulkar Or Virat Kohli?”- Virender Sehwag Names The No.1 Among His Top 5 ODI Batters

Virender Sehwag chose his no.1 ODI batter amongst Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar as he named his top 5 all-time best ODI batters in the world. Selecting only five was no small feat for Virender Sehwag, who has played alongside innumerable greats worldwide.

Even his Indian cricket team has five of the best ODI batters, according to the former explosive batter. However, after giving it some serious thought, he ultimately chose five names—players he loved and his favorites who might also be fans' favorites.

Two Indians, one from South Africa, one from the West Indies, and even one from Pakistan were among Sehwag's top five ODI hitters. When revealing his final list in an interview with Cricbuzz, he strangely left out the players from Australia and England.

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.

Virender Sehwag talks about Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers

Sehwag began with Chris Gayle, the "Universal Boss," at number five, claiming that he was a terrific opener and hitter. The legendary player from the West Indies concluded his ODI career with 10,480 runs with a strike rate of 87.19 and an average of 37.83.

“Chris Gayle was a great batsman and opener. I remember India came to the West Indies in 2002-03, and Chris Gayle hit three centuries in a six-match series. He was the first player I saw at the international level who used to hit sixes from the back foot to fast bowlers,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.

In Sehwag's selection of the top five ODI batters of all time, AB de Villiers came in at number four. The renowned Indian opener claimed that he enjoyed De Villiers' style of play and that he used to approach him for the bats, which he never turned down.

He said it was great to watch the former South Africa captain's 360-degree cone when he used to play, but he also played some incredible innings for his country and even against India. Notably, AB de Villiers scored 9,577 runs at an average of 53.50 and a strike rate of 101.09 during his stellar ODI career.

“No. 4 is AB de Villiers. I really liked the way he used to play. He’s the only batsman 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,” he added.

Inzamam Ul Haq praised by Virender Sehwag

The third player on Sehwag's list is Inzamam-ul-Haq, a former captain of Pakistan. Inzamam, one of the top Asian ODI hitters, has amassed 11739 runs in 350 innings. According to Sehwag, the Pakistani star taught him the skill of managing the game and seeing it through to the conclusion. Inzamam used to dominate the match.

“No. 3 is Inzamam-ul-Haq. He’s one of the best ODI players from Asia. Inzamam used to come out to bat at No. 4 and used to control the match. So, I learnt from him how to take the match to the end. How you can control the match. At that time, it was very difficult to chase seven or eight runs in an over. But Inzamam used to do it with a smile. Because he used to calculate when and who to hit sixes,” Sehwag added.

Virender Sehwag showers rich praise on idol Sachin Tendulkar and modern legend Virat Kohli

The "everyone's favorite," Sachin Tendulkar, was then selected by Virender Sehwag as his second-best ODI batsman. In 463 ODIs, Tendulkar amassed 18,426 runs at an average of 44.83.

“Everyone’s favorite and my role model, Sachin Tendulkar. You know how it feels to walk on the ground with him? You’re going to the jungle with a lion. Everyone’s eyes are on the lion. And I used to quietly make my runs," said Virender Sehwag.

Virat Kohli's excellent batting in the format ultimately won him the top spot on Sehwag's ranking of the best five ODI batters. In his 285 innings, Kohli has amassed 13963 runs thus far. Virat Kohli was hailed by Virender Sehwag as the greatest player of the modern age.

While chasing, he emphasized the former Indian captain's reliability and game-winning knocks. According to Sehwag, Kohli changed in 2011–12 and became one of the greatest players of all time.

“Virat Kohli is at number one. Virat Kohli jaisa khiladi shayad he aane wale samay mein aisa consistent player aaye jisko ek tag diya gaya hai—Chasemaster. In the beginning, he wasn’t the Virat Kohli who he is today. He also took his time and learnt a lot. And after 2011-12, he has changed a lot. In his fitness and in his consistency. He has played amazing innings,” Virender Sehwag concluded.

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