AB de Villiers picks 3 Indians in his list of top 5 ODI batters of all-time

Former South Africa batter AB de Villiers went India-heavy in his pick of the top five ODI batters of all time. De Villiers included former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and South Africa legend Jacques Kallis as the first two names.

He then picked three Indian players — Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni — to round off his top five. The trio played massive roles in India's last ODI World Cup win in 2011.

Meanwhile, Ponting was part of Australia's ODI World Cup three-peat from 1999 to 2007, captaining the side in the last two. Kallis, the only member of De Villiers' top-five without a World Cup title, helped South Africa win their lone ICC title in the 1998 Champions Trophy with a century in the semifinal and a five-wicket haul in the final.

Coming to the batting numbers of the five legends, Tendulkar is the all-time leading run-scorer in ODI history with 18,426 runs in 463 games. De Villiers' former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate Kohli is third on the list with 14,180 runs in 301 outings. The champion batter is also the all-time leader in ODI centuries with 51.

Ponting is right behind Kohli as the fourth leading run-scorer in ODIs, with 13,704 runs in 375 matches. Kallis and Dhoni are eighth and 12th with 11,579 and 10,773 runs, respectively.

AB de Villiers' top five ODI batters of all-time

Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni

Virat Kohli will look to win his third ICC ODI title in 2025 Champions Trophy

Kohli has been at his usual best in run-chases in the ongoing Champions Trophy [Credit: Getty]

Virat Kohli is eying a third ICC ODI title in the ongoing 2025 Champions Trophy, where India will take on New Zealand in the final in Dubai on Sunday, March 9. The 36-year-old won his maiden ICC ODI title when India triumphed in the 2011 World Cup at home.

Kohli won his second with India's title run at the 2013 Champions Trophy. However, it has been a series of painful endings in ODI World Cups since, with the defeat in the 2017 Champions Trophy final (against Pakistan) being another unwanted addition.

The veteran batter has been in incredible form in the 2025 Champions Trophy with 217 runs at an average of 72.33 and a strike rate of 83.14 in four outings.