In a heartfelt tribute, Ravi Shastri, the former Indian cricket team head coach and renowned commentator, has hailed star batter Virat Kohli as one of the greatest players of all time for his unparalleled dominance in the sport over the past decade.
Kohli’s Unmatched Versatility and Adaptability
Shastri emphasized Kohli’s extraordinary impact across all formats, noting that while other top players like Joe Root, Steve Smith, and Rohit Sharma have excelled in specific formats, Kohli has been exceptional in ODIs, T20Is, and Tests for more than a decade, which has set him apart from his contemporaries.
“I think one of the greats of the game. He dominated that decade of cricket across formats of the game. When you look at one player who dominated all three formats of the game for a period of 10 years, it had to be Virat Kohli,” Shastri said on the ICC Review.
The former Indian captain also mentioned how Virat Kohli has consistently ranked among the top cricketers in every format, highlighting his extraordinary versatility, adaptability, and skill.
Kohli’s Longevity and Consistency
Ravi Shastri stressed that Kohli’s ability to maintain peak performance across formats over such an extended period of time proved his greatness and set his place as one of the cricketing legends.
“You don’t compare players of different eras. But if someone can stay on top of a sport for that long period of time at the top across formats, it just shows his versatility, his ability to adapt, and just shows his skill sets to be able to do that. Not many can, but he’s shown why he’s different,” Shastri added.
In his illustrious 16-year career, Virat Kohli has emerged as the fourth-highest scorer in the sport across all formats with 26,922 runs. The 35-year-old has notched this tally in 113 Tests, 294 ODIs, and 125 T20Is.
In terms of team accolades, Kohli has won the ICC ODI World Cup in 2011, the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, and the T20I World Cup in 2024. He is also the only player to have won two Player of the Tournament awards in T20 World Cup history and the 2023 ODI World Cup.
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