With his record-extending 51st ODI century, Virat Kohli has again ignited debate surrounding the greatest one-day batter of all time. Most former cricketers are convinced that Kohli has gone past even the great Sachin Tendulkar in this argument.
Atherton: ‘No One Better Than Kohli in Run-Chases’
Ex-England skipper Michael Atherton is of the opinion that Kohli is the greatest-ever batsman in ODI history to chase targets. Kohli has made 28 centuries during successful run-chases—most among all players. Tendulkar has 17, and Rohit Sharma has 16.
“Virat Kohli in a run-chase in 50-over cricket, no one has been better in the game’s history, really. 51 centuries is an unbelievable record,” Atherton told Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.
Kohli reached this milestone while playing for India against Pakistan in a Champions Trophy encounter. He did not get out and also became the quickest to score 14,000 ODI runs—to accomplish the feat in fewer innings than Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.
“I mean, he’s (Kohli) got 51 and he reached 14,000 runs, which only Tendulkar and Sangakkara have reached over that line in one-day cricket. And he achieved them in 60-odd innings faster than Sachin, and I reckon about 90-odd innings faster than Kumar. ODI is likely to be his optimum format,” Atherton further added.
Hussain: ‘Kohli Surpasses Tendulkar, Sangakkara & de Villiers’
Another ex-England captain, Nasser Hussain, admitted that Tendulkar, Sangakkara, and AB de Villiers are all in the GOAT conversation, but Kohli is above them.
“He’s (Kohli) been a brilliant cricketer. Sure, and you’d have to include probably the greatest ODI player of all time, actually, with those figures you referred to. You’d include Tendulkar in the discussion. Kumar, you’d include AB de Villiers. They’ve included some excellent ones, but he’s at the very top of the tree,” Hussain declared.
As Kohli keeps rewriting records, the argument about the best ODI batter grows stronger. Yet, with statistics and performances to his credit, he is still a strong contender in the debate.
