South African batting legend AB de Villiers chose his pick for India’s greatest ODI batter of all time and as a surprise snubbed Sachin Tendulkar. For the unversed, Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for most matches played, most runs, and most centuries in the ODI format.
The legendary Indian batter scored 18426 runs in 463 ODI matches for India at an average of 44.83 at a strike rate of 86.23. He hit 49 centuries and 96 fifties in his career and also picked 154 wickets with two fifers to his name. Tendulkar was also part of the 2011 World Cup-winning Indian squad.
Tendulkar, who had made his ODI debut in 1989, retired from ODIs in 2012 after scoring his 100th international century, which came in the Asia Cup 2012 and he retired from the game in 2013 after becoming the first cricketer to play 200 Tests.
“Virat Kohli Is The Greatest ODI Batter Of All Time”- AB De Villiers
However, for AB de Villiers, who himself is considered to be one of the greatest ODI batters of all time his former RCB teammate and star Indian cricketer, Virat Kohli, is the greatest ODI batter of all time.
Virat, who became the fastest batter to score 13,000 runs in ODI cricket during India’s Super Fours match of the Asia Cup 2023 against Pakistan on September 11 in Colombo, has played in a total of 280 ODIs so far, in which he has scored 13,027 runs at an average of 57.38. He has 47 centuries and 65 fifties to his name in ODI cricket.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, De Villiers, who played for more than a decade with Kohli in RCB, picked him as the greatest batsman of all time.
“Virat Kohli is the greatest ODI batter of all time,” the 39-year-old former cricketer said.
Virat, who will return to the Indian team for the third ODI against Australia, which is scheduled to take place at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Wednesday (September 27).