WCL 2025: AB de Villiers picks World XI, leaves out Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma

Published - 23 Jul 2025, 21:00 IST | Updated - 23 Jul 2025, 21:02 IST

AB de Villiers is one of the finest cricketers to have represented South Africa. He was an all-format player, who could seamlessly alter his gameplay based on the team's requirement. The talismanic cricketer finished with 8765, 9577, and 1672 runs from 114 Tests, 228 ODIs, and 78 T20Is, respectively.

The former South African captain is currently leading South Africa Champions in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025. On the sidelines of the six-team tournament, de Villiers picked his all-time World XI in a video shared by presenter Shefali Bagga on Instagram on Wednesday, July 23. Only two Indian cricketers made it to his team, and they were his friend Virat Kohli and the legendary MS Dhoni.

De Villiers picked Graeme Smith and Matthew Hayden to open the batting, with Ricky Ponting to follow. He named Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson in the middle-order. The 41-year-old picked Dhoni at No. 7 for the wicketkeeper's role. Mitchell Johnson and Mohammad Asif were picked as pacers, while the legendary duo of Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan were chosen as spinners.

Notably, de Villiers decided not to pick any all-rounder in his side, with only four frontline bowling options. The likes of Williamson, Kohli, and Smith would have to roll their arm over had this team played a game of cricket. The iconic Glenn McGrath was named as the 12th man.

A post shared by Shefalii Bagga (@shefalibaggaofficial)

Interestingly, de Villiers snubbed many legendary Indian cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid, and Jasprit Bumrah from the lineup. No one from England and the West Indies made the cut.

AB de Villiers' World XI: Graeme Smith, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, MS Dhoni, Mitchell Johnson, Mohammad Asif, Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne.

ABD turns clock back with stunning fielding effort in WCL

The Pretoria-born was dismissed cheaply in South Africa's first game of WCL 2025 against the West Indies. However, he roared back into form in South Africa's clash against India Champions on Tuesday, July 22, at the County Ground in Northampton, as he scored an unbeaten 63 off 30 balls, setting up an 88-run win (via DLS method) for his team.