Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter AB de Villiers recently blind-ranked top batters in ODI cricket, including himself. The former South Africa skipper was tasked with blind-ranking batters from international cricket teams during his appearance on the YouTube podcast ‘Beard Before Wicket.’
AB de Villiers retired from all cricket in November 2021. He made a comeback in the World Championship of Legends (WCL 2025). The former batter led the South Africa Champions as captain in the T20 tournament. He guided his team to the title victory, even after years away from professional cricket.
AB de Villiers recently took part in the blind ranking of ODI batters, including some of India’s stars. The former Proteas batter picked Virat Kohli for the top spot. Sachin Tendulkar, though mentioned first, was placed fourth. Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni were ranked sixth and seventh, respectively.
De Villiers positioned himself second on the list, just behind Kohli. Other notable international players featured were Ricky Ponting in third, Hashim Amla in fifth, and Kumar Sangakkara in eighth. The list concluded with Babar Azam at ninth and David Warner at tenth.
De Villiers played 228 ODIs and scored 9,577 runs at an impressive average of 53.50, including 25 centuries. He last played in the 50-over format against India in February 2018.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma Are India’s Active ODI Batters
Among the four Indian cricketers, only Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are still active in ODIs. Sachin Tendulkar is India’s highest run-scorer in the format with 18,426 runs from 463 matches.
Kohli scored 14,181 runs in 302 games at an average of 57.88 with 51 centuries and 74 fifties. Rohit is in fourth place with 11,168 runs from 273 matches at an average of 48.76 at a strike rate of 92.80, including 32 hundreds and 58 fifties, while MS Dhoni is at sixth with 10,599 runs.
Virat Kohli and Sharma last played international cricket during the 2025 Champions Trophy. India ended a 12-year ICC ODI trophy drought. Kohli was the team’s second-highest run-getter in the tournament, scoring 218 runs in five innings at an average of 54.50, while Sharma added 180 runs at an average of 36.00.
We Play the Game in a Similar Way - AB de Villiers
In the same podcast, AB de Villiers recalled his time batting alongside Virat Kohli. He called the experience of batting together “absolutely incredible” and added that both were in peak form during those matches.
"We play the game in a similar way, very busy at the crease, run hard, get behind what the bowler is trying to do and then find ways to attack. I just loved batting with him. It was nice to be out there with him. Absolutely incredible experience," he said.
De Villiers and Kohli set the record for the highest partnership runs by a pair in a single IPL season, amassing 939 runs from 13 innings at an average of 78.26 in 2016. They also added a massive 229-run partnership against the Gujarat Lions at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Also read: MS Dhoni hookah controversy takes fresh turn as Irfan Pathan’s ‘khana nahi khata tha’ revelation breaks internet
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