Virender Sehwag picks his top 5 ODI batters, includes two Indians

Posted by February 17, 2025 Cricket
Virender Sehwag picks his top 5 ODI batters, includes two Indians

Former India opener Virender Sehwag, in a conversation with Cricbuzz, picked his top five ODI batters among those who played during his career ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy. He included two Indians in the five, with the other three coming from South Africa, Pakistan and the West Indies.

Sehwag also ranked the five, with former West Indian opener Chris Gayle taking the No. 5 position. Coming in next at No. 4 was former South African captain AB de Villiers, who also played with Sehwag in the Delhi Capitals (DC) setup in the IPL from 2008 to 2010.

At No. 3, Sehwag picked former Pakistan middle-order batter Inzamam-ul-Haq, who dominated the 1990s and 2000s. His top two consisted of Indian batters – Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, with the former at No. 2 and the latter at No. 1.

Sehwag opened the batting in ODIs with Tendulkar for several years, including in India’s triumphant 2011 World Cup at home.

Virender Sehwag’s top-five ODI batters:

  1. Virat Kohli
  2. Sachin Tendulkar
  3. Inzamam-ul-Haq
  4. AB de Villiers
  5. Chris Gayle

A look at the numbers of Sehwag’s top-five ODI batters

Kohli holds the record for most ODI centuries [Credit: Getty]Kohli holds the record for most ODI centuries [Credit: Getty]
Kohli holds the record for most ODI centuries [Credit: Getty]

All five of Virender Sehwag’s choices for top ODI batters boast incredible numbers across the board. Tendulkar is the all-time leading run-scorer in ODIs with 18,426 runs at an average of almost 45 and a strike rate of 86.23 in 463 matches.

Meanwhile, Kohli is the all-time leader in ODI centuries with 50, overtaking Tendulkar’s 49 in the 2023 World Cup semifinal. He is also third all-time in ODI runs with 13,963 at an average of 57.93 and a strike rate of 93.52 in 297 outings.

Inzamam is the seventh leading run-scorer in ODIs with 11,739 runs at an average of 39.52 and a strike rate of 74.24 in 378 matches. Sehwag’s fourth-best ODI batter, De Villiers, is the only player in cricket history with an average of over 50 and a strike rate of over 100 in the format, having played 200+ games.

The former South African captain finished his stellar career with 9,577 runs at an average of 53.50 and a strike rate of 101.09 in 228 ODIs. De Villiers’ former IPL teammate with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Gayle, finished with 10,480 runs in ODIs at an average of 37.83 and a strike rate of 87.19.