‘Sorry Virat’ - AB de Villiers excludes Virat Kohli in his top 5 Test cricketers list
Former South African captain AB de Villiers has snubbed Virat Kohli in his list of top five cricketers he has played with or against in Test cricket. In the latest episode of the ‘Beard before Wicket’ podcast, AB de Villiers was asked to name his top five cricketers in Test cricket.
De Villiers, understandably, found it tough to answer as there are so many to pick from. The South African picked legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar as the best batter in Test cricket. South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis also finds a place in AB de Villiers’ list. The RCB batter hailed him as the best all-rounder ever to play the game.
“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.
"Kallis is the best all-rounder or maybe the best cricketer of all time," he said.
AB de Villiers revealed that Mohammad Asif was the best seamer he ever faced. He rounded up his list by including Shane Warne and Andrew Flintoff.
"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.
AB de Villiers starred for South Africa Champions in WTC title win
Ab de Villiers returned to the cricket field in the recent edition of the World Champions of Legends 2025 tournament. He lit up the tournament with his sensational hitting prowess. De Villiers was instrumental in helping South Africa lift their maiden title. He played a match-winning knock of 120 runs in just 60 balls, helping South Africa chase down a massive 196-run target in just 16.5 overs. De Villiers played terrific knocks throughout the tournament and topped the runs tally with 431 runs to his name in six matches.
