On Monday, former India cricketer Virender Sehwag was assigned the unenviable task of selecting the top five ODI batters in history. While the list included two Indians, he chose former India captain Virat Kohli over his idol Sachin Tendulkar as the top pick in a generational fight.

Speaking on Cricbuzz, Sehwag swiftly put West Indies legend Chris Gayle as number five on his list. From 1999 to 2019, the left-hander scored 10480 runs in 304 appearances.

“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.

The former India opener then chose South African legend AB de Villiers at number four and former Pakistan captain Inzamam-Ul-Haq at number three. De Villiers made 9577 runs in 228 ODIs. In contrast, the latter is Pakistan's most productive ODI batsman, with 11739 runs in 350 innings.

“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. 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.

Sehwag has numerous times called Sachin Tendulkar his idol, and the two went on to become one of the most threatening ODI openers of all time. However, despite this, Sehwag only chose Sachin Tendulkar at no.2 in his top five ODI batters list.

“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 Sehwag.

Sehwag instead chose Virat Kohli as the no.1 ODI batter of all time. Kohli did surpass Sachin's record of most centuries in ODIs during the 2023 World Cup, but he still trails by over 4000 runs in the all-time list. However, Sehwag's reason for backing Kohli as the No. 1 batter was his consistency over the years.

“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,” Sehwag concluded.

(Cricbuzz inputs)