Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has named Virat Kohli, Andre Russell and Steve Smith as the best players he has watched across the three international formats. Interestingly, Maxwell left out several modern-day greats, including Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle, Kane Williamson and Joe Root, from his selections. Maxwell, who retired from ODI cricket in 2025, continues to feature in franchise cricket across the world. He currently has a two-year contract with the Melbourne Stars and also holds an ownership stake in the Belfast Wolves in the European T20 Premier League.

The Australian all-rounder also opted out of the IPL 2026 auction to manage his workload. Speaking on the Keepin’ It Cricket YouTube channel, Maxwell picked Virat Kohli as his favourite ODI batter. He was particularly impressed by Kohli’s ability to manipulate the field, consistently find gaps, and control the tempo of an innings.

“The best I ever saw in one-day cricket was Kohli,” Glenn Maxwell said, recalling some of the Indian star’s memorable performances against Australia. He added that Kohli appears to have more time than most batters and possesses an exceptional ability to place the ball exactly where he wants.

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Kohli’s ODI record further underlines Maxwell’s assessment. The former India captain has scored 14,941 runs in 314 ODIs at an average of 58.59 and a strike rate of 93.95. His tally includes 54 centuries and 79 fifties, with Kohli having surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s previous record of 49 ODI hundreds.

🚨Glenn Maxwell picks his all-time favorite batsman.

ODI- Virat Kohli

T-20 – Andre Russell

Test – Steve Smith pic.twitter.com/4rUjCUcVKk

— Indian Cricket 🏏 (@Indiancric1cm) September 2, 2026

Kohli also enjoyed considerable success as India’s ODI captain, winning 65 of the 95 matches he led. He averaged 72.65 as captain and scored 21 of his ODI centuries while occupying the leadership role.

For T20 cricket, Maxwell selected former West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell. His choice was based on Russell’s explosive batting, express bowling and outstanding fielding, qualities that made him one of the most complete T20 cricketers of his generation. “T20, it’s probably hard to go past someone like Andre Russell,” Glenn Maxwell said, highlighting the Jamaican’s extraordinary power and ability to change matches with both bat and ball.

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Russell retired from international cricket on July 17, 2025, having played 86 T20Is. He scored 1,122 runs at a strike rate of 163.80 and claimed 61 wickets. He was also part of West Indies’ T20 World Cup-winning teams in 2012 and 2016.

For Test cricket, Maxwell went with Australia great Steve Smith. Smith has accumulated 10,763 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 56.06, including 37 centuries and 44 fifties. His highest Test score is 239. Smith became the 14th batter to cross 10,000 Test runs and reached a career-high ICC Test batting rating of 947, second only to Don Bradman’s 961. He has also captained Australia in 44 Tests, winning 26, while averaging 68.08 as captain.