Virat Kohli builds ultimate ODI batter: Sachin Tendulkar among 7 legends, but AB de Villiers beats Dhoni for one skill

Virat Kohli was asked to build his “ultimate ODI batter shot by shot”, and what he picked was indeed “pure class.”

For the perfect batter that Virat Kohli has been in ODI cricket — he holds the record for the most centuries, is gunning for the record for most runs in the format, and earned the moniker of ‘chase master’ in this very format — the former India captain did not pick himself when asked to build the ‘ultimate’ ODI batter. He instead went for seven other legends, including Sachin Tendulkar.

India's Virat Kohli inside the bus at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport ahead of the team's 2nd ODI against West Indies, in Guwahati (Hafiz Ahmed)

Speaking to Star Sports ahead of the second ODI against West Indies in Guwahati, Kohli was asked to build his “ultimate ODI batter shot by shot”, and what he picked was indeed “pure class.”

For the straight drive, he showed no hesitation, and there shouldn't have been any other guess. He picked Tendulkar.

For generations, that shot has been a source of admiration for many budding cricketers, and it even left oppositions in awe of his mastery. In an interview with Cricinfo in 2021, former England batter Ian Bell said Tendulkar had the best straight drive in the business, and that he would like his ideal batsman to have that shot. "Sachin Tendulkar (for straight drive), the best I saw on the field growing up. A pleasure to watch sometimes, hard to watch when you are on the field and chasing the leather," he had said.

Kohli did take a few seconds when asked to pick the batter for the sweep shot, calling it a “difficult choice”, but eventually went with former Australia batter Matthew Hayden.

For six-hitting, Kohli looked no further than his former RCB teammate Chris Gayle. But in a surprise move, he picked AB de Villiers, his good friend and another former RCB teammate, for running between the wickets, ahead of India legend MS Dhoni.

Kohli looks ahead to 2nd ODI

The 37-year-old carved out a sensational unbeaten 139 against the West Indies on Sunday in Thiruvananthapuram as India scripted an eight-wicket win to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

It was his second century in three matches at the venue, his 55th in ODIs and 25th in a successful chase — all adding to the sense that Kohli is already locked in for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

En route, he went past 15,000 runs in the format, surpassing Tendulkar as the quicker of the two to the landmark. He also became the first batter to score 7,000 ODI runs in India.

India will play the second match against the West Indies on Wednesday in Guwahati, followed by the third and final match of the series on October 3 at the PCA New Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.