Ravi Shastri picks his top 5 Indian ODI cricketers of all time amid AUS vs IND 2025 series; ranks former captain above Sachin Tendulkar

Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri picked his top five Indian ODI cricketers of all-time amid the three-match series in Australia. Shastri also ranked the five players in order, starting with Virat Kohli at the top.

Kohli is India's second all-time leading run-scorer in ODIs with 14,181 runs at an average of 57.41 and a strike rate of over 93 in 304 matches. The champion batter is also the all-time leader in ODI centuries with 51.

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar came in at second on Shastri's list, thanks to his phenomenal numbers. The Little Master finished his illustrious ODI career with 18.426 runs (all-time record) at an average of 44.83 and a strike rate of 86.23, including 49 centuries, in 463 games. The duo played vital roles in India's triumph in the 2011 ODI World Cup at home.

Shastri picked former all-rounder and the 1983 World Cup-winning captain, Kapil Dev, at No.3. Kapil scored 3,783 runs and picked up 253 wickets in his remarkable ODI career, with a century and a five-wicket haul each.

India's other ODI World Cup-winning skipper, MS Dhoni, came in at No. 4, having led the side to glory in 2011. Dhoni is sixth all-time in ODI runs among Indian batters with 10,599 runs at an average of over 50 and a strike rate of 87.13 in 347 games.

Shastri rounded off his list with another former captain, Rohit Sharma, who recently led India to the 2025 Champions Trophy title. Rohit is also third all-time among Indian batters in ODI runs with 11,249 runs at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 92.62 in 275 outings.

The veteran right-hander is also the only batter in ODI history with three double-centuries.

Ravi Shastri's top five Indian ODI cricketers (via Fox Cricket Instagram handle):

1. Virat Kohli

2. Sachin Tendulkar

3. Kapil Dev

4. MS Dhoni

5. Rohit Sharma

Ravi Shastri explains the rationale behind leaving out Jasprit Bumrah

Ravi Shastri said he left Jasprit Bumrah out of his top five only because he is still in the middle of his career, compared to the others on the list. He also mentioned that all five on his list possessed rare match-winning qualities.

"The only reason I've not put Bumrah there is that Bumrah has got another three or four years of cricket left. These players are more or less coming to the fag end of their careers. They've played over a decade, some over a decade and a half. Barring Rohit Sharma, everyone on that list are World Cup winners. And all these, on a given day, genuine match-winners, " said Shastri (via the aforementioned source).

Notable omissions from Ravi Shastri's top five include Anil Kumble, India's leading wicket-taker in ODIs, and Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, who are in the top five for ODI runs among Indian batters. The former all-rounder also left Yuvraj Singh, who was the Player of the Tournament in India's last ODI World Cup win in 2011.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran