Former Australia spinner Shane Warne says Sachin Tendulkar could not have done what Virat Kohli has been doing in the modern-day game.
Kohli has dominated the limited-over game. Whether it is ODIs or T20s, the 29-year-old’s numbers are remarkable.
In 208 ODIs, the India skipper has racked up 35 tons, scoring at an average of 58.10 and a strike rate of 92.14. Only Tendulkar has outscored him in the century department with 49 tons, which he accumulated in 463 matches at an average of 44.83. The rate at which Kohli has risen into the top five India run-getters of all time is phenomenal and Warne gave him the ultimate praise.
‘I think the way Virat plays and you look at his numbers and it’s uncanny how many times he has got hundreds in ODI cricket chasing totals down,’ Warne told India Today. ‘I don’t think anyone, not even Sachin could do what Virat’s done. We know Sachin and Brian Lara were the two best players of all time in our generation. But Virat and AB de Villiers, it’s very difficult to separate those guys.
‘Virat is as good as anyone that I have seen play the game. Wonderful, terrific player, I love his energy and passion. I am sure when he finishes in ten years or so he will be spoken about in the same breath as Sachin.’
India’s World Cup preparations will see them face England in July to play three T20Is, three ODIs and five Tests against them. This will be followed by a trip to Australia in December.
Kohli has not had the best of success against England. In 14 Tests, he has an average of 44.40 (his second lowest); in 26 ODIs, his average is 41.86 (his second lowest) and in nine T20s, his average is 26.22 (his lowest). In England, his Test average is 13.40, the lowest in his career out of every country he has played in.
Warne believes he will change his luck in the series against England starting in July.
‘India faces England first – perhaps the only place which Virat hasn’t yet nailed. And I think he will nail England this year. I think Virat will have an unbelievable series in England which will hold him in good stead in Australia also.’
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