Legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar praised Virat Kohli as the best one-day cricket player of all time, citing the Indian legend’s unparalleled stature in the game as seen by his world record of hundreds.
In the first ODI against South Africa on Sunday, Kohli reached his 52nd ODI century, scoring 135 from 120 balls to help India post 349/8.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. I mean, it’s not just me. I think those who have played with him and against him, they all agree that he is the greatest in the one-day format,” Gavaskar told Jiostar.
“Look, you scored 52 hundreds. That actually sets you up right up there in stratosphere, so to speak.”
Even Australia’s Ricky Ponting had recognized Kohli’s genius, the former captain of India noted.
“I just heard that Ricky Ponting said that Kohli is the best that he’s seen in one-day cricket. I mean, when an Australian captain says that — and everyone will agree that it is rare, very rare to get praise from an Australian — that Kohli was the best, then I don’t think there’s any argument with that.”
According to Gavaskar, Kohli is in a class of his own after breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record of 51 ODI hundreds.
“Sachin has been absolutely right up there with 51 hundreds. But when you pass the great Sachin Tendulkar, then you know where you stand,” he said.
According to Gavaskar, Kohli’s unparalleled success in one-day cricket stems from his unwavering grasp of his own game and his clear temperament.
“He understands his game very well, that’s the key. I think as a batter sometimes you see other players and you think, look I can bat like him. But no, he’s got a different pickup, different way of bringing the bat speed down. You’ve got to know what is your strength as a batter,” he said.
According to Gavaskar, Kohli follows the process and doesn’t copy anyone.
“This is my strength, I know this is what I can do well and you stick to that. And that’s what Kohli does. You see that he does not, even when the off spinner was bowling, he wasn’t looking, Rohit Sharma hit him mid-wicket. But Kohli hit it straight towards long on, straight bat. He didn’t try to do like Sharma did.
“That is the key, knowing his strength, sticking to it, because he knows he’s got how many runs in that. He’s got 51 centuries and now 52nd. So he knows the way he plays is best suited for him,” Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar, meanwhile, called South Africa coach Shukri Conrad’s contentious “grovel” remark about India an “ill-advised” statement.
“It may have been an ill-advised remark — wrong time, wrong place. I hope that in his next media interaction, he addresses it. I don’t think an apology is necessary; I personally don’t believe in apologies,” he said.
“But acknowledging it and making up for it would be accepted by everyone. These things happen. In the heat of the moment, you can get carried away and say something that goes a bit over the top. Given the strong connection between Indian and South African cricket over the last 30 years, I think he can simply clarify that he got a bit carried away.”
