I would pay money to watch Tendulkar bat: Viv Richards

He had redefined ODI batting almost three decades back but Sir Vivian Richards' favourite ODI batsman is none other than the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.

In a column written for the ICC, King Richards has named some of his favourite ODI batsmen and the two Indians who have included in the list are Tendulkar and India's current No 1 batsman Virat Kohli.

"The first name that comes to mind is Sachin Tendulkar. In a single word, I would describe him as a legend. The player he was until very recently, if ever there is a team picked without including him, it would be a great shame," Richards wrote in his column for the International Cricket Council.

"He (Tendulkar) has always been one of my favourite batsmen and I would pay money to watch him bat. He wasn't the biggest in size amongst other cricketers of the world, but all good things come in small packages. And he was a fantastic batsman," Richards said.

‘Kohli is only going to get better’ 

Richards was also impressed with Kohli. "At such a young age, he (Kohli) has twice the number of ODI century than in Tests and he is such a confident player in limited-overs. It is not to say he isn't so in the longer format, but I really like his aggressive style in ODI cricket.

"Look at the way he started his career, and the batsman he has already become today, he is simply magnificent in whatever little time he has played as compared to others. He is only going to get better and better, and add to his list of achievements," Richards was effusive in his praise.

The other batsman who came in for a lot of praise by the legend were fellow West Indians Brian Lara, Chris Gayle, South Africa's AB de Villiers, Australians Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey.