Sorry Virat! AB de Villiers picks Sachin Tendulkar in his top 5; includes tainted Pakistan bowler

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Sep 01, 2025, 10:40 IST

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Despite their strong bond and memorable IPL partnerships for RCB, AB de Villiers didn't include Virat Kohli in his top five Test cricketers. De Villiers named Jacques Kallis, Andrew Flintoff, Mohammad Asif, Shane Warne, and Sachin Tendulkar. He praised Kallis as potentially the best cricketer ever and Asif as the best seamer he faced.

Sorry Virat! AB de Villiers picks Sachin Tendulkar in his top 5; includes tainted Pakistan bowler

Sachin Tendulkar, center, rings the five minute bell during day one of the Third Rothesay Men's Test at Lord's, London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

NEW DELHI:Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers share an incredible bond that extends beyond the cricket field. The duo lit up the Indian Premier League (IPL) with unforgettable performances and partnerships for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).Yet, when de Villiers was asked to name the five best cricketers he had played with or against in Tests, Kohli didn’t make the cut.

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His top choices included all-rounders Jacques Kallis and Andrew Flintoff, Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif, Australian legend Shane Warne, and the iconic Sachin Tendulkar.“Kallis, Flintoff, Mohammad Asif, Warne… and Sachin with the crowds. The way he (Tendulkar) was received when he walked out to bat — everything would come to a standstill. Beautiful to watch him bat. Virat… sorry, Sachin. That’s why such questions are so tough to answer,” de Villiers said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast.

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De Villiers also said that Jacques Kallis is probably the best cricketer ever."Kallis is the best all-rounder or maybe the best cricketer of all time," he said.De Villiers also named tainted Pakistan bowler Mohammad Asif as the best bowler he faced."Asif was the best seamer I ever faced. I loved playing against Warne, but I never faced difficulty. I liked his overall personality, the floppy hat, the zinc cream, the blonde hair," he said."Again Andrew Flintoff, who was a big-match performer. That yorker to Kallis in Edgbaston is the best I have seen," he added.

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TOI Sports Desk

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