Former Australia captain Ian Chappell commented his view on Indian skipper Virat Kohli after the historic win on their home ground.
Virat Kohli-led Indian cricket team became the first visiting team to win bilateral series across the three formats against Australia Down Under. Ever since, the Indian skipper has been receiving praises all around. Following the historic win, Michael Clarke had commented that Virat Kohli is the greatest ODI batsman to have played the game.
It was now former Australian skipper Ian Chappell’s turn to have a few words in favor of the Indian skipper. Ian Chappell is of the belief that Kolhi will outshine legends like Viv Richards, Sachin Tendulkar, and AB de Villiers and end his career as the ‘Sir Donald Bradman of ODI batsmen’.
“Kohli reminds me of Richards in his approach to ODI batting; he eschews fancy shots and relies on a wide range of traditional strokes … As the only one of this quartet still playing ODIs, Kohli already heads some important statistical categories,” Chappell wrote in his column in ESPNcricinfo.
“If he were to continue at his current rate – an unlikely outcome as he ages – he would pass Tendulkar’s aggregate with more than one hundred innings to spare and nearly 20 centuries in advance of the Little Master. If he even came close to achieving these amazing feats, there could be no argument, Kohli would be the Sir Donald Bradman of ODI batsmen,” Chappel added.
Kohli has till now has 10,385 stacks of runs in 219 matches at an outstanding average of 59.7 with a strike rate of 92.7. His average is the most as compared to all the other major run-gutters in ODI’s. Along with that, Kohli is also the only player to have an average of 50 plus across all the formats. And when it comes to chasing, Kohli yet again outshines and so far his average in successful chases is over 90 with 20 centuries in a winning cause.
AUTHOR’S TAKE:
Virat Kohli is undoubtedly the best of the best in the world cricket. Since 2008, there has been nothing but a tremendous improvement in Kohli’s career as the 30-year-old is only climbing up the ladder of success. And at the current age, he has already a World Cup (2011) to his name, was the Player of the tournament at a World T20 (2014), and had led India to a record eight consecutive Test series win. No doubt cricketing biggies think he is the next big thing in Cricket.
