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As India’s preparations for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2027 officially begin and many were talking about the expectations, former Indian fast bowler Mohit Sharma recently picked his greatest ODI players, teams and moments.
Mohit Sharma makes special mention of Sachin Tendulkar, one of the greatest batsmen of all time, and Zaheer Khan, one of the finest bowlers. He described Australia as the greatest team in this format.
Mohit Sharma described Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan as the greatest ODI legends.
When asked about the greatest ODI player of all time, the former India fast bowler without any delay chose the great Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar. He also described Tendulkar as the greatest Indian ODI cricketer of all time. The Master Blaster remains an undisputed legend of ODI cricket.
The Indian legend scored a record 18,426 runs in 463 ODI matches at an average of 44.83 with the help of 49 centuries and 96 half-centuries. He became the first cricketer to reach 10,000 ODI runs and later made history again by becoming the first male player to score a double century in ODI cricket with his unbeaten 200 against South Africa in 2010.
Mohit Sharma has chosen former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan as the best ODI bowler. He praised Zaheer’s ability to perform in an era when bowlers had to work with only one ball for an entire innings and the former bowler made his mark with skill, control and cricketing intelligence.
“If we go by personal preference, I would say Zaheer Khan was the best ODI bowler for me. At that time, the biggest thing was that there were no two balls. You had to play with one ball. Yes, I know there was a reverse factor. But at the same time, when the ball gets old, you cannot bowl all the yorkers. You have to bowl a length ball,” Mohit Sharma said on Cricbuzz.
Mohit Sharma cites NatWest 2002 final as greatest ODI match over India’s 2011 World Cup win
The former CSK fast bowler chose India’s famous NatWest Series final win against England at Lord’s in 2002 as the greatest ODI match, ignoring the team’s historic 2011 World Cup win.
Mohit said, “For me, where the emotions were very high and low, I would say the 2002 NatWest Series final was the biggest game. Because it was national pride. The way Andrew Flintoff came to India and celebrated by taking off his T-shirt.
And then when we chased 325 in net waste, we made it 326. In the beginning, Dada, then Kaif Bhai, then Yuvi. The way the entire team played and the celebration that followed on the balcony of Lord’s. I can never forget it.”
When it came to the best ODI all-rounder, Mohit took the name of South African legend Jacques Kallis. He praised Kallis for his incredible contributions to South African cricket with both bat and ball. “Whatever talent and work he has done for his country, I think is admirable,” he said.
Mohit Sharma picks Australia as best ODI team; Best ODI moment revealed
During this, Mohit Sharma said that the team which has dominated in ODI cricket for a long time is Australia. He recalled how they dominated the 2003 World Cup and won the trophy and continued their dominance with many titles.
The former Indian fast bowler’s favorite ODI moment was Zaheer Khan’s opening spell during India’s victorious 2011 World Cup campaign. He shared, “I remember Zaheer Khan’s spell, which was the 2011 World Cup final. We were bowling first, and he opened the spell and bowled 5 overs, including three maiden overs, gave away 6 runs and took only one wicket.”
Mohit concluded by saying, “So, he set the tone from there. And I still remember that wicket that Virender Sehwag got caught in the slips. So yes, for me, it was a moment when I felt like what could be better than this? So that spell was the best for me.”