Former all-rounder and head coach of the India national cricket team, Ravi Shastri, has named the top five Indian ODI cricketers of all time, and he has made some interesting picks.
Ravi Shastri has refused to give the No. 1 spot in his list to God of Cricket Sachin Tendulkar; Instead, they have kept run-machine Virat Kohli at the top spot.
I would go with Kohli, Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma – Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri is currently involved as a broadcaster in India’s Australia tour 2025. He has dedicated his life to cricket and played many different roles during his illustrious career.
Ravi Shastri was a part of the Indian team that won the 1983 World Cup under the leadership of Kapil Dev and since then he has made a huge contribution to Team India as an all-rounder.
After his retirement, he took up broadcasting duties and later also became the head coach of the India national cricket team, and was instrumental in transforming the Test team.
Shastri has seen it all in cricket over the past few decades, and now, based on his experience, he has named the top 5 ODI cricketers of all time who have represented the India national cricket team.
He chose Virat Kohli as India’s No. 1 player of all time and placed Sachin Tendulkar at No. 2. The next two batsmen in their list were Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni, while Rohit Sharma was placed at the fifth position.
“Yes, I would go with Kohli, Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma. You know, these players, you know, are more or less at the tail end of their careers. They played for more than a decade, some for more than a decade and a half. You know, that’s why I would put, and it’s hard to choose. When you look back, you know, there are so many other good players out there. But these are the most important ones for me Are,” Shastri said. Fox Cricket.
You know, his contribution has been excellent – Ravi Shastri
The former India head coach further said that the cricketers he has selected in his list have made outstanding contributions over the years.
“You know, they have been outstanding contributors, there are two World Cup captains, you know, who have also won the World Cup. And, you know, except Rohit Sharma, everybody on that list is a World Cup winner.
He added, “But, you know, you can’t rule out Rohit with three double centuries, more than 11,000 runs. He is third on the run-scorers’ list. And all of them, on their given day, are genuine match-winners.”
The only reason I haven’t kept Bumrah there is because Bumrah has got another three or four years – Ravi Shastri
One big name missing from Shastri’s list is Jasprit Bumrah, considered the greatest Indian fast bowler of all time. Talking about his non-inclusion, Ravi Shastri said that the leading fast bowler still has a lot of time left in cricket, and that is the only reason why he is not a part of the list.
Shastri said, “The only reason why Bumrah is not there is that Bumrah still has three or four years of cricket left. These players are more or less at the tail end of their careers. They have played for more than a decade, some for more than a decade and a half. Barring Rohit Sharma, everyone in that list is a World Cup winner. And all of them, on a given day, are genuine match winners.”
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