The ultimate all-time ODI XI: A personal selection of icons across eras

By Harsh Thakor*

This is my all-time best XI chosen for ODI (One Day International) cricket:

1. Adam Gilchrist (W) – The absolute master blaster who could create the impact of exploding gunpowder with his electrifying strokeplay. No batsman was more intimidating in his era. Often his knocks decided the fate of games as though the result were premeditated. He escalated batting strike rates to surreal realms.

2. Sachin Tendulkar / Rohit Sharma – Tendulkar was the epitome of consistency and temperament in a career spanning over three decades. He set staggering statistical parameters in his time, scoring 51 centuries and piling up monumental aggregates in World Cup cricket, with record-setting campaigns in 1996 and 2003. His presence played an important role in India’s 2011 World Cup triumph, his quarter-final innings against Australia proving a turning point. His 98 against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa ranks among the finest ODI knocks ever, as do his back-to-back “Desert Storm” innings at Sharjah in 1998. Rohit Sharma scored two double hundreds in ODIs and topped the run aggregate in the 2019 World Cup with five centuries. He has won India innumerable games with astonishing imagination and stroke-making diversity, maintaining a phenomenal strike rate of around 92. Tendulkar was superior in building a launch pad for victory; Sharma perhaps more explosive in propelling it. Sachin the more organised, Rohit the more buoyant.

3. Viv Richards (C) – The most intimidating and destructive batsman of all, who treated the best bowling attacks like cannon fodder. He took domination and imagination to transcendental proportions, as seen in his unbeaten 189 at Manchester in 1984, 153 at Melbourne in 1979–80, 138* in the 1979 World Cup final, and 149 in India in 1983–84. He had no equal in transforming the complexion of games, particularly in major finals.

4. Virat Kohli – The greatest ODI batsman of recent times, statistically surpassing Tendulkar and standing out as a supreme match-winner. Arguably no batsman better emulated Viv Richards as a middle-order dominator or proved more reliable in a crisis. He has single-handedly carried India to victory on numerous occasions. The most complete batsman of his era, and the ultimate man under pressure, he scored a record 765 runs in the 2023 World Cup and has averaged a phenomenal 58 in ODIs.

5. Javed Miandad / Zaheer Abbas – Miandad was the ultimate crisis man and a master of improvisation, arguably the most effective batsman in run chases, combining organisation with indomitable spirit. His unbeaten 114 in the 1986 Austral-Asia Cup final ranks among the greatest ODI innings. Zaheer Abbas, by contrast, surpassed contemporaries in timing and placement, elevating batting artistry to near-surreal levels. He averaged an outstanding 47.62 in ODIs and over 60 in the 1983 World Cup, including a blazing 93 against a fiery West Indies attack in the 1979 semi-final. His match-winning 108 in Australia in 1981–82 was a classic. Comparing Javed and Zaheer is like comparing chalk and cheese, yet both had equal utility.

6. AB de Villiers – His batting resembled an acrobat performing daring tricks, his strokes exuding the inventiveness of a magician. He virtually reinvented batting, scaling magical heights of domination, the closest modern equivalent to Viv Richards in terms of audacity.

7. Kapil Dev – He overshadowed every all-rounder in ODI cricket with flamboyant strokeplay, tantalising bowling, and acrobatic fielding. No all-rounder elevated attacking aggression to greater intensity with the bat or displayed more versatility with the ball. His unbeaten 175 against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup resurrected India from the brink. Statistically, his ODI record as an all-rounder compares favourably with the very best. His contribution to India’s 1983 World Cup triumph and the 1985 World Championship of Cricket victory in Australia remains monumental. To me, he was a more impactful ODI match-winner than Jacques Kallis.

8. Shane Warne – His prodigious turn mesmerised batsmen like no other bowler. Warne was a central factor in Australia’s rise as a near-invincible ODI force.

8. Wasim Akram – He took bowling wizardry to transcendental realms with virtually unplayable reverse swing and unmatched effectiveness at the death. A dangerous striker with the bat as well, Akram played pivotal roles in Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup triumph and the 1990 Austral-Asia Cup final. His 502 international wickets and numerous match-winning performances speak volumes.

10. Joel Garner – The most accurate of fast bowlers, rarely straying from his line and arguably the greatest exponent of the yorker. Garner fused accuracy with steep bounce to devastating effect. His 5–38 in the 1979 World Cup final sliced through England’s middle order and sealed West Indies’ victory.

11. Glenn McGrath – The ultimate metronome and epitome of bowling intelligence. No one surpassed McGrath’s control and consistency; even at fast-medium pace he could be unplayable. He was instrumental in shaping Australia into arguably the greatest ODI side, capturing a record 27 wickets in the 2007 World Cup.

The likes of Desmond Haynes, Mark Waugh, Allan Lamb, David Gower, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Mohammad Azharuddin, Richard Hadlee, Dennis Lillee, Imran Khan, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis, Gordon Greenidge and Michael Holding miss out by the narrowest of margins. Viv Richards would captain my side, with Adam Gilchrist as wicketkeeper. I was unable to separate the merits of Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma for the opening slot, or Miandad and Zaheer Abbas for No. 5. Of course, such selection is subjective and open to debate.

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*Freelance journalist

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