England’s versatile cricketer, Moeen Ali, faced the challenging task of selecting his top five Indian cricket legends. The 36-year-old placed his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain, MS Dhoni, at the top of his list, followed by Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar in the subsequent positions.
Although Ali never had the opportunity to play alongside Tendulkar, he has had the privilege of sharing the locker room with both Dhoni and Kohli during their Indian Premier League (IPL) stints.
Since joining CSK in 2021, Ali contributed significantly to their victories in 2021 and 2023. Additionally, Ali teamed up with Kohli for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) between 2018 and 2020. Speaking in an interview with Samp Group, which they posted on their Instagram account, Ali elaborated on his selections.
“For me No. 1 is Dhoni. He was a great player but people forget how good he was. It is everything he won as a captain for India. “Virat (Kohli) No.2 because he is great and one of the best players. It pains me to say this but he (Sachin) is No.3 because of him being Sachin and I think he started the (art) of proper batting. There was Sunil Gavaskar as well but he was before my era so I didn’t see a lot of him. But Sachin was just different level,” said Moeen Ali.
Tendulkar holds the esteemed position as the highest run-scorer in both Test and ODI formats, accumulating over 34,000 runs and setting a remarkable record of 100 centuries. However, Kohli surpassed Tendulkar’s previous record of 49 ODI centuries by achieving his 50th hundred during the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.
Moeen Ali selected iconic batsmen Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh for the fourth and fifth spots on his list of top Indian cricketers. Recognized as pivotal players for India during the late 2000s and early 2010s, Sehwag and Yuvraj significantly contributed to India’s victories in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. Expressing admiration, the English off-spinner highlighted Sehwag as his preferred batsman.
“My favourite batter is Virender Sehwag because he was something different. The way he batted in Test matches, ODIs and T20s, he scored massive and he absolutely destroyed bowlers. The guy I looked up to as a batter…in terms of…of course I would try to copy up to a certain extent and people have compared me to him a little bit so it’s Yuvraj Singh. The bat swing, the way he played and his bat swing was amazing to watch. When in form, he was the best player to watch,” he added.
On the other hand, Ali made his international cricket debut as late as 2014; however, his involvement in the IPL has allowed the all-rounder to interact with these five cricketers in various capacities. Throughout his 59 IPL matches, he has amassed more than 1,000 runs and taken 33 wickets.
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