Ten years after Sachin Tendulkar retired, Virat Kohli has succeeded the Master Blaster to become the face of Indian cricket. Be it batting, brand value or endorsements, like Tendulkar, Kohli has become the undisputed king of all that is cricket today. Every time he walks out to bat, people expect a century from him, and despite having knocked down 76 of them, the unsatiable appetite just doesn’t end. Fans want to see Kohli at the pinnacle of every batting record there, including most runs, most centuries, highest average etc.
There is no batting record Tendulkar does not hold. But with over 25000 runs, Kohli is certainly on his way of achieving the same. At 34, Kohli may not be able to better Tendulkar in Tests, but it certainly looks a strong possibility in ODIs. At 46 centuries, he is just three short of tying the great Sachin and with the Asia Cup and World Cup lined up, it is only a matter of time before Kohli becomes the new century master in one-dayers. However, whether Kohli can shatter all batting records in the world is a whole different mountain to climb. While the possibilities are endless, the legendary Garfield Sobers, reckons Kohli will not find easy reaching the top.
“I won’t say that because sometimes the game can become very funny. He might just face bowlers who are really good too, and you have players who can do certain things with the ball at times. Once you start playing against these types of players, and you’re good enough, you eventually will rise,” Sobers, widely considered the greatest all-rounder of all time, told RevSportz in a chat.
Sobers explains why Kohli stands out from the rest
Sobers recently met the entire Indian cricket team, Kohli included, ahead of its first Test match of the West Indies tour, and as visuals show, was looked pretty impressed by Virat. Having fetched laurels from all the greats that there are, Kohli’s greatness needs no further validations, but when something praiseworthy comes out of the mouth of Sir Garry himself, one is bound to sit back and take note.
“I think he’s a hell of a good player. He got the right approach; right attitude and he plays very well. I am never surprised at the amount of runs he makes. He has worked hard and he realised to practice hard. He plays according to what it is and he thinks about it. He is not just a player that goes in and tries to get runs here, there, and everywhere. He looks very well, watched the ball and you can tell that sets him apart,” added the legendary Sobers.
