Legendary cricketer Vivian Richards has rated Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara as the best batsmen of all time. He has revealed his top 10 ODI batsmen in a recent column for ICC website. Richards felt that out of his top 10 favorite cricketers, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar would definitely top the list along with Brian Lara.
Sachin Tendulkar leads Viv Richards’ Top ODI Batsmen List
The former West Indies great opined that whenever he thinks of the best ODI batsmen of all time Tendulkar is the first option that he could think of. The veteran cricketer further added that he would not mind paying money to watch Tendulkar hitting some unique shots down the ground. He equally rated Lara too in the same league as Sachin Tendulkar.
Viv Richards’ top 10 ODI batsmen of all time
| Sr.No | Name of the Cricketer | Nation/ Team |
| 1 | Sachin Tendulkar | India |
| 2 | Brian Lara | West Indies |
| 3 | Chris Gayle | West India |
| 4 | Clive Llyod | West Indies |
| 5 | Ricky Ponting | Australia |
| 6 | Mathew Hayden | Australia |
| 7 | Michael Hussey | Australia |
| 8 | Virender Sehwag | India |
| 9 | AB de Villiers | South Africa |
| 10 | Virat Kohli | India |
Vivian Richards is often referred to as one of the greatest ODI and Test batsmen in the history of cricket. He has been a successful member of West Indian squad at the ICC World Cup of 1975 and 1979 respectively. In both these years the West Indian team had successfully emerged victorious and the world champions.
Vivian Richards in action
| Format of the game | Matches Played | Total Runs scored | Total Wickets |
| Test Matches | 121 | 8540 | 32 |
| ODIs | 187 | 6721 | 118 |
| First-Class | 507 | 36212 | 223 |
The 62-year old legend also admitted that the way by which the Carribean southpaw (Brian Lara) found gaps on the field while playing longer inning is truly remarkable. Brian Lara is a former West Indian great who announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2007.
Viv Richards has also express keen interest in Virat Kohli. He is thoroughly amazed at the aggressive cricket played by the dashing right handed batsman. Richards has a huge hope for the stylish batsman and opined that with the passage of time Kohli will surely reach new heights of success in the world of international cricket.
The West Indies legend also stated that Virat has a lot of cricket left in him. And he is a magnificent player who has achieved so much within few years of his career. Richards also showered a word of praises for all other cricketers whom he picked in his all-time ODI batsmen list.
Tags: Brian Lara, Cricket, ICC, ODI Batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar, Vivian Richards, West Indies
