AB de Villiers Builds His Ultimate ODI Batter, Picks Virat Kohli Twice

De Villiers picked Kohli in his ultimate ODI batter challenge [Source: AP]AB de Villiers, the South African superstar, built his perfect ODI batter, and he picked Virat Kohli twice. The former South African captain picked legendary batters for specific shots and skills to build the best possible ODI batter.Speaking to Star Sport during the World Championship of Legends (WCL), selected players for eight different attributes, including cover drive, straight drive, pull shot, and others.Kohli picked twice as ABD builds his ultimate ODI batterFor the straight drive shot, de Villiers picked Matthew Hayden, the former Australian opener. For the cover drive, the RCB legend picked his former teammate, Virat Kohli, and, not surprisingly, he selected Rohit Sharma for the flick shot.“Virat Kohli. Everyone says that, but I'm not just saying it because everyone says it. He's masterful when it comes to that. Rohit Sharma with that flick of his. It's pure timing, pure talent, and just beautiful to watch,” de Villiers said.CREX @Crex_live What makes an ODI batter truly complete? 🤔 AB de Villiers takes on the challenge of building his dream batter with his expert cricketing insights! #ABdeVilliers Oct 10, 2026, 10:36 AM For the pull shot, he went with Ricky Ponting, and for the cut shot, he selected his Proteas teammate, Jacques Kallis. For the sweep shot, de Villiers went ahead and named Pakistan great Younis Khan as his pick.ALSO READAB de Villiers Smashes 37-Ball Hundred In WCL 2026 vs AustraliaHe picked himself and Virat Kohli for running between the wickets, and for six-hitting, MS Dhoni was his favourite pick.AB de Villiers backed Virat Kohli to deliver in World Cup 2027One of Virat Kohli’s biggest critics and fans has been AB de Villiers. The duo shared the dressing room during their IPL days together, and recently, de Villiers backed Kohli to deliver the goods in the 2027 ODI World Cup.The former South African captain stated that Kohli is in the third peak of his career, and he is no longer overthinking the game and is instead trusting his natural instincts."When Virat plays with his instinct, he's pretty much unstoppable. So, well, it's quite scary to think of where this will go and how good and how big of an impact he's going to have for Team India in the 2027 World Cup," ABD told Sports Today in an interview.Kohli has unleashed his aggressive self onto the bowlers, and de Villiers has warned the opposition that the Indian great could be the batter to watch out for in the World Cup next year.ALSO READGautam Gambhir Labels Roston Chase The 'Game-Changer' For West Indies In 2nd T20I vs India