Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has hailed Virat Kohli as the best ODI player he has ever seen, backing the Indian cricketing superstar to surpass the legendary Sachin Tendulkar as the highest run-getter in the format. Kohli displayed an outstanding performance, scoring an unbeaten 100—his 51st ODI century—to lead India to a six-wicket victory over Pakistan in a Champions Trophy match on Sunday.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better 50-over player than Virat Kohli. Now that he’s gone past me (in run-maker’s list) and only two (batters) ahead of him, I’m sure he would want to give himself the best chance to be remembered as the all-time leading run scorer in the game,” Ponting told ICC Review.
During his remarkable innings, Kohli crossed the 14,000-run milestone in ODIs, becoming part of an elite club alongside former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara and Sachin Tendulkar.
Currently, Virat Kohli stands at 14,085 runs, still trailing Tendulkar’s monumental tally of 18,426 by 4,341 runs. At 36 years old, Kohli has limited time to surpass this record, but Ponting believes the challenge is not insurmountable.
“Obviously physical-wise, he’s probably as fit as he’s ever been and works exceptionally hard on that side of his game. It’s crazy when you think about it, isn’t it? Just how good Virat’s been over such a long period of time, yet he’s still 4,000 runs behind Sachin.
“It just goes to show how good Sachin was, but also his longevity in the game. But with someone like Virat, you never write him off. If the hunger’s still there, then I’m never going to write him off (to overtake Tendulkar),” he added.
Ponting emphasized that playing against Pakistan often brings out the best in Kohli, labeling him a big-match player.
“Yeah, 2022 (T20 WC) and now, he stood up against the team that he would probably steel himself the most to play against. When Pakistan had batted first on a tricky wicket, it needed someone at the top of the order to play a match-winning innings like that.
Do you also feel that Virat Kohli will surpass Sachin Tendulkar?
