Former South Africa and RCB star AB de Villiers recently shared his list of top 5 cricketers, but surprisingly left out his good friend and former RCB teammate Virat Kohli. The duo had many memorable moments playing together for RCB over the years.
De Villiers explained why he chose Sachin Tendulkar over Virat and even apologized to Kohli after Adil Rashid reminded him of the omission. The 41-year-old also talked about why he considered Jacques Kallis, Mohammad Asif, Shane Warne, and Andrew Flintoff unique, sharing personal stories of facing them on the field.
AB de Villiers said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast that his top cricketers are Jacques Kallis, Andrew Flintoff, Mohammad Asif, Shane Warne, and Sachin Tendulkar. He added that watching Sachin bat was special — when he walked out to bat, everything seemed to stop, and the crowd’s reaction was incredible. De Villiers explained, “Virat, sorry, Sachin. That’s why these questions are so hard to answer.”
“Jacques Kallis is probably the best all-rounder, or even the best cricketer ever. Asif was the toughest fast bowler I faced. I enjoyed playing against Shane Warne—he never really troubled me. I liked his style, the floppy hat, zinc cream, and blonde hair. Then there’s Andrew Flintoff, who always performed in big matches. That yorker he bowled to Kallis at Edgbaston is the best I’ve ever seen,” added the South African legend.
AB de Villiers is a cricket legend in his own right. He finished his 14-year international career with an average of 50.66 in Tests and 53.50 in ODIs, playing 114 Tests and 228 ODIs for South Africa. He is also one of RCB’s most successful players, featuring in 156 IPL matches for the franchise. Alongside Virat Kohli, he played a key role in building the strength of the Bengaluru-based team.
He recently captained the South Africa Champions team in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025. As captain, he performed brilliantly with the bat, scoring 429 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 220, making him the tournament’s top scorer. Under his leadership, the South African team won the championship, defeating a strong Pakistan Legends side in the final.
FAQ
What did AB de Villiers recently reveal about his top cricketers?
AB de Villiers shared his personal list of the top 5 cricketers of all time, which surprisingly did not include Virat Kohli.
Who did AB de Villiers include in his top 5 list?
While the full list isn’t always disclosed in detail, he mentioned Sachin Tendulkar as one of the top cricketers.
Why is Virat Kohli missing from the list?
AB de Villiers hasn’t publicly explained the exact reason, but it reflects his personal opinion rather than a critique of Kohli’s career.
Has AB de Villiers played with Virat Kohli before?
Yes, they were teammates for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League for several seasons.
