What's new

Where does Virat Kohli rank among the all time great batsmen?

big_gamer007 said:
Let him reach twilight of his career and then we can decide.. Evey player has their ups and downs and what separates the best from the others is how they come back after the downs..

Kohli is right now in purple patch of his career when this gets over how he comes back will define his legacy..


For now he is well on his way in being the second best batsmen to ever play the game after Tendulkar .

1. Sachin
2. Kohli
3. Lara
4. Ponting
5. Viv

That will be the rating if Kohli continues to play like he is..
Click to expand...

That was said with all the sanctimonious conviction of religious doxa.

Sachin is not unequivocally better better than Sanga or Dravid, let alone Bradman.

There is is reason Sanga had a higher all time ICC ranking.

If Kohli continues to play like he is he will have as many centuries as Sachin in half the number of Tests.

Depending on how Smith goes, the only player to compare him to then will be Bradman.
 
New Yorker said:
That was said with all the sanctimonious conviction of religious doxa.

Sachin is not unequivocally better better than Sanga or Dravid, let alone Bradman.

There is is reason Sanga had a higher all time ICC ranking.

If Kohli continues to play like he is he will have as many centuries as Sachin in half the number of Tests.

Depending on how Smith goes, the only player to compare him to then will be Bradman.
Click to expand...

There is almost no argument for placing Sangakkara or Dravid within 10 miles of Sachin. Sangakkara hasn't done much overseas. You can attribute that to not playing enough matches overseas, but that doesn't matter.

All time ICC rating is one of the most meaningless stat in cricket. Unless you're telling me that peak Root is better than Sachin and Lara, Hayden, Hussey, Chanderpaul, Flower better than Dravid, and Pujara better than Younis, Border, Gilchrist, Cook, Sehwag etc.

As for excluding Bradman, I assume he's one of the many people who have trouble rating mediocre pre WWII players (I know Bradman played a few years after too, but anyway).
 
Mainul said:
He has already surpassed everybody in ODIs.If he can pile up more runs in this series,he will be close to being no 1 in tests too.Previous tour to Englang put a question mark by the side of his name. I don't know how he performed in tests in SA and New Zealand.If he performs well there he is truely the no 1 above all.Add to this the pressure of being the captain of 1.3 billion. SRT was never a good captain,Virat has surpassed him already by some distance.Its not easy to perform with so much pressure of captaincy of India.Virat has been doing it so easily. Respect.To be some arrogant,Virat deserves it to be but player like Stokes don't.
Click to expand...

5 hundreds in Australia, top run scorer among both SA/Ind in the last tour.
 
New Yorker said:
That was said with all the sanctimonious conviction of religious doxa.

Sachin is not unequivocally better better than Sanga or Dravid, let alone Bradman.

There is is reason Sanga had a higher all time ICC ranking.

If Kohli continues to play like he is he will have as many centuries as Sachin in half the number of Tests.

Depending on how Smith goes, the only player to compare him to then will be Bradman.
Click to expand...



We are talking about best batsmen across formats.. Bradman played in an amateur era and he can’t be compared to modern batsmen.. Even today’s tailenders are better batsmen than Bradman, not doubting his achievements and as a cricketer he is perhaps the greatest but as a batsman he doesn’t stand anyway near.

Only in your mind will sanga or Dravid be better overall Bats than Tendulkar, ask any neural or expert and all of them will rate tendu above these two..

The fact is Tendulkar is the greatest batsman to play the game so far.. People like smith are nowhere near ponting let alone Tendulkar or Lara category.
 
I believe Kohli will surpass Ponting in ODIs once he produces a prolific WC or deliver a match-winning performance in WC knockouts.

In tests, I think he will reach Ponting level. It took him some time to make a big stride in test cricket but in last 3 years, he is averaging 70 and is well on the way to reach a bonafide ATG status in Tests.

I think he will go down among the top 10 greatest batsmen of all time and the second greatest batsmen to have come from Asia. I dont see him surpassing SRT because his greatness stood for 22 years and he has played plenty great knocks against ATG bowlers across various country.
 
big_gamer007 said:
We are talking about best batsmen across formats.. Bradman played in an amateur era and he can’t be compared to modern batsmen.. Even today’s tailenders are better batsmen than Bradman, not doubting his achievements and as a cricketer he is perhaps the greatest but as a batsman he doesn’t stand anyway near.

Only in your mind will sanga or Dravid be better overall Bats than Tendulkar, ask any neural or expert and all of them will rate tendu above these two..

The fact is Tendulkar is the greatest batsman to play the game so far.. People like smith are nowhere near ponting let alone Tendulkar or Lara category.
Click to expand...

just curious. these neutrals or experts, do they also tell you that even today's tailenders are better than bradman?

sachin was very good for a long time, perhaps longer than anyone else, but he was not ranked the best batsman in the world for long stretches of his career. because he wasn't, for long stretches of his career. that is simply incontrovertible. or, as you put it, a fact. other batsmen, playing against the same bowlers, performed better than sachin. perhaps not for as long, but they were better, and often more dominating, or prolific. dravid would be a good example.

never during the entirety of bradman's career was there a question of who was the best in the world. which is quite unique in sport.
 
Ab Fan said:
I believe Kohli will surpass Ponting in ODIs once he produces a prolific WC or deliver a match-winning performance in WC knockouts.

In tests, I think he will reach Ponting level. It took him some time to make a big stride in test cricket but in last 3 years, he is averaging 70 and is well on the way to reach a bonafide ATG status in Tests.

I think he will go down among the top 10 greatest batsmen of all time and the second greatest batsmen to have come from Asia. I dont see him surpassing SRT because his greatness stood for 22 years and he has played plenty great knocks against ATG bowlers across various country.
Click to expand...

by some standards, kohli is clearly far ahead of the rivals, including ponting. ponting did not score centuries at the rate that kohli and smith have been piling them up for 60 some tests now. the only question is if they can keep it up. if they do, they will leave ponting behind in the dust.
 
Kohli is a level above Dravid. Apart from defense and playing spin, he is a superior batsman on all fronts.

Tendulkar might be considered better by many people due to multiple factors, but I watched a lot of Tendulkar and he never gave the vibe that Kohli does today - perhaps it has a lot to do with his domineering personality - the expressive celebrations, the fierce eyes, the beard and the tattoos etc.

When he is on the crease, he owns the pitch and it is hard to imagine India losing a game as long as he is in the crease, regardless of the odds.

I remember watching an India vs England ODI a couple of years back. I was with a group of Indians, and India was reduced to 60-4 while chasing 350.

99% of the time, you would back the bowling team in this situation, but the Indians and I were confident they Kohli could still take them home, and he did.

I don’t think Tendulkar ever gave that belief to viewers. He was a genius without a shadow of the doubt, but Kohli grabs the game by the balls and runs away with it like few batsman did, do and will do in the future.

His statistics are incredible, but they don’t do him justice. You have to watch Kohli live to appreciate the player that he is and the impact that he has, and why he is in a different league to any batsman in the world today.
 
New Yorker said:
by some standards, kohli is clearly far ahead of the rivals, including ponting. ponting did not score centuries at the rate that kohli and smith have been piling them up for 60 some tests now. the only question is if they can keep it up. if they do, they will leave ponting behind in the dust.
Click to expand...

I remember you once advocated for Shan Masood to be playing for Pakistan in LOIs even though he had no PSL contract which you weren't even aware off.

Stick to NFL, MLS, NBA, NHL and etc in NY.
 
Mamoon said:
Kohli is a level above Dravid. Apart from defense and playing spin, he is a superior batsman on all fronts.

Tendulkar might be considered better by many people due to multiple factors, but I watched a lot of Tendulkar and he never gave the vibe that Kohli does today - perhaps it has a lot to do with his domineering personality - the expressive celebrations, the fierce eyes, the beard and the tattoos etc.

When he is on the crease, he owns the pitch and it is hard to imagine India losing a game as long as he is in the crease, regardless of the odds.

I remember watching an India vs England ODI a couple of years back. I was with a group of Indians, and India was reduced to 60-4 while chasing 350.

99% of the time, you would back the bowling team in this situation, but the Indians and I were confident they Kohli could still take them home, and he did.

I don’t think Tendulkar ever gave that belief to viewers. He was a genius without a shadow of the doubt, but Kohli grabs the game by the balls and runs away with it like few batsman did, do and will do in the future.

His statistics are incredible, but they don’t do him justice. You have to watch Kohli live to appreciate the player that he is and the impact that he has, and why he is in a different league to any batsman in the world today.
Click to expand...

POTW for me
 
Kohli is not anywhere near the top greatest test batsmen ever, think about it, theres Bradman, Tendulkar, Ponting (the best all format batsman imo), Viv (arguably the best all format batsman), Sobers, Lara, AB, Amla and Sanga. Most of those guys consistently scored runs, made them big and did so in trickier batting conditions against better bowling attacks.

Let's look at the major barometer for a batsman - scoring runs - if you compare him to his three great contemporaries, he is behind both Smith and Root in terms of runs scored this decade. If you compare him to others, he trails behind Cook, Amla and Warner. So if he can't be the best run getter of his own time, how can he be the greatest batsman ever?

The same sentiment can go to Kohli's ODI ranking but he has scored a lot of runs and done so with flair, aggression, innovation and at a better level than almost any of his contemporaries. So I would have no qualms with people ranking him just inside the top 5 along with Tendulkar, Ponting, Viv and AB.
 
barah_admi said:
Kohli is not anywhere near the top greatest test batsmen ever, think about it, theres Bradman, Tendulkar, Ponting (the best all format batsman imo), Viv (arguably the best all format batsman), Sobers, Lara, AB, Amla and Sanga. Most of those guys consistently scored runs, made them big and did so in trickier batting conditions against better bowling attacks.

Let's look at the major barometer for a batsman - scoring runs - if you compare him to his three great contemporaries, he is behind both Smith and Root in terms of runs scored this decade. If you compare him to others, he trails behind Cook, Amla and Warner. So if he can't be the best run getter of his own time, how can he be the greatest batsman ever?

The same sentiment can go to Kohli's ODI ranking but he has scored a lot of runs and done so with flair, aggression, innovation and at a better level than almost any of his contemporaries. So I would have no qualms with people ranking him just inside the top 5 along with Tendulkar, Ponting, Viv and AB.
Click to expand...

Please explain this.
 
New Yorker said:
by some standards, kohli is clearly far ahead of the rivals, including ponting. ponting did not score centuries at the rate that kohli and smith have been piling them up for 60 some tests now. the only question is if they can keep it up. if they do, they will leave ponting behind in the dust.
Click to expand...

Ponting has 41 centuries in test cricket. So, dont agree with that point.

Now the comparison with Ponting comes because both took a bit of time in tests before they start piling runs all round the world.

Ponting had a peak of 7 years in which he averaged 67 in tests. Kohli and Smith are going in a right direction but they need to do it a bit longer. Ponting declined in latter part as well.

So, at this moment, I can only say that they can surpass Ponting if they keep performing that well for a few years and dont decline much.

Kohli will surpass Ponting in ODIs once he has a great WC to his name. Ponting will most likely remain far superior to Smith in ODIs though.
 
Mamoon said:
I remember watching an India vs England ODI a couple of years back. I was with a group of Indians, and India was reduced to 60-4 while chasing 350.

99% of the time, you would back the bowling team in this situation, but the Indians and I were confident they Kohli could still take them home, and he did.
Click to expand...

I Clearly remember that match and was also backing India to win.(I'm rarely optimistic regarding India)The most surprising part of that run chase was Kohli wicket after scoring his 100 and it was taken by one and only - Stokes.
 
Sachin136 said:
There is almost no argument for placing Sangakkara or Dravid within 10 miles of Sachin. Sangakkara hasn't done much overseas. You can attribute that to not playing enough matches overseas, but that doesn't matter.

All time ICC rating is one of the most meaningless stat in cricket. Unless you're telling me that peak Root is better than Sachin and Lara, Hayden, Hussey, Chanderpaul, Flower better than Dravid, and Pujara better than Younis, Border, Gilchrist, Cook, Sehwag etc.

As for excluding Bradman, I assume he's one of the many people who have trouble rating mediocre pre WWII players (I know Bradman played a few years after too, but anyway).
Click to expand...

Sanga has 11 double centuries in 137 Tests, second only to Bradman. Sachin scored only 6 double centuries in 200 Tests. Sanga's overall average is higher than Sachin's and his all time peak ICC score is higher than Sachin's, indeed one of the best ever. And this will come as no surprise to those who know these players' careers. Sachin was undoubtedly a genius batsman, but he rarely dominated series in the way that Kohli or Smith do today, or Lara did in his pomp. For some years, Sachin would be counted on to score a beautiful serene century every second Tests and get out around 130. For some years Sanga could be counted on to bury the opposition in Test after Test. He scored 38 centuries from just 137 Tests, whereas Sachin was much less prolific on a per Test basis, as well as being less impactful, lumbering on for the last three years of career without a century. No one believed Sachin was even close to the best in the world when he retired, but Sanga scored a double century in his last year. This does not mean Sachin was not better than Sanga in many respects; he performed better overseas, on average, he was in his pomp technically close to perfect. But Sachin was not better in every respect, and certainly not for the majority of his career. People who worship Sachin understandably get nervous when Kohli gets compared to Ponting or Lara, because both of these players were at times clearly better than Tendulkar.
 
Ab Fan said:
Ponting has 41 centuries in test cricket. So, dont agree with that point.

Now the comparison with Ponting comes because both took a bit of time in tests before they start piling runs all round the world.

Ponting had a peak of 7 years in which he averaged 67 in tests. Kohli and Smith are going in a right direction but they need to do it a bit longer. Ponting declined in latter part as well.

So, at this moment, I can only say that they can surpass Ponting if they keep performing that well for a few years and dont decline much.

Kohli will surpass Ponting in ODIs once he has a great WC to his name. Ponting will most likely remain far superior to Smith in ODIs though.
Click to expand...

You are free to disagree as much as you want, but to disagree on a particular point you must actually address the point. My point was not about how many centuries Ponting scored, but how many he was scoring per Test. And so far Kohli and Smith and clearly far ahead of him on that metric. Please address this.
 
New Yorker said:
You are free to disagree as much as you want, but to disagree on a particular point you must actually address the point. <B>My point was not about how many centuries Ponting scored, but how many he was scoring per Test</B>. And so far Kohli and Smith and clearly far ahead of him on that metric. Please address this.
Click to expand...

Yes,I got your point and yes, at this point on that metric,they are ahead of Ponting. But Ponting still has got enough hundreds in tests. He has 41 hundreds in 168 tests.SRT had 50 in 200 tests.

Kohli and Smith have better ratio but they won't be able to keep up with hundred rate once they decline. And although they will still be having more hundreds per test ratio than Ponting, but that alone is not enough to put those two ahead of Ponting. So, we can only predict and I have already said that Kohli should end up among the top 10 greeatest batsmen of all-time. So, not sure what's the point of discussion here?
 
Last edited:
Rahul1 said:
Please explain this.
Click to expand...

Explain what? You have highlight Bradman, why so?

I guess you have highlighted Ponting because you believe only KOhli is a great all format player lol

Ponting was a remarkable ODI batsman, in the age of longer boundaries (much longer in some places), better bowlers, better bowling pitches, no free hits for much of his career and less fielding restrictions. His ability to play all round the park, captain, score WC centuries and be a crucial batting cog in 2 WC wins has him above everyone else.

As a test batsman he is second only to Tendulkar/Viv. No man scored more runs in the first decade of the 21st century, few have averaged better and none have done it with such contempt for the bowlers.
 
T20 and ODI GOAT. I know there are lot of people on here who are reluctant to give him that tag because he hasn't had a monstrous WC but it's only a matter of time (dude's averaging 98 in ODIs in last 3 years and 83 since 2015 WC). Just like runs in English conditions in Tests happened, a great WC will happen too.

Tests, it's difficult to rank him right now. There are so many great Test players, Kohli achieved Godly Test form in last three years. He needs to sustain it for another 3-4 years before he can go down in pantheon of greats in Tests. By that I mean Top 3 or Top 5.
 
barah_admi said:
Explain what? You have highlight Bradman, why so?

I guess you have highlighted Ponting because you believe only KOhli is a great all format player lol

Ponting was a remarkable ODI batsman, in the age of longer boundaries (much longer in some places), better bowlers, better bowling pitches, no free hits for much of his career and less fielding restrictions. His ability to play all round the park, captain, score WC centuries and be a crucial batting cog in 2 WC wins has him above everyone else.

As a test batsman he is second only to Tendulkar/Viv. No man scored more runs in the first decade of the 21st century, few have averaged better and none have done it with such contempt for the bowlers.
Click to expand...

Ponting is a level below SRT as an all format player.This is a fact based on stats which u cant change
 
jeeteshssaxena said:
Ponting is a level below SRT as an all format player.This is a fact based on stats which u cant change
Click to expand...

Stats are not everything....but if you want stats than Ponting scored more runs across all formats last decade than Tendulkar and Lara so...
 
If he continues on his merry way, then could be considered the GOAT.
 
Already in the top 5. The best i have seen are Richards, Tendulkar, Lara, Ponting, Kallis, M Crowe and now Kohli.
 
Virat Kohli turns 30 today.Happy birthDay King Kohli.

Mr. Milestone turns 30 today and in such a short time and age he becomes one of the finest. He is not only a fine batsmen but a wonderful human also.

Thank you for inspiring millions of us and make cricket best again.
Guys for today no bashing, only good wishes.
-- freak_virat
 
Kohli said:
Another 5 years(LOIs) minimum left in him till 2023 WC.
Click to expand...
Shows how hard will it be for him to break Tendulkar's most ODI runs' record. Even if he scores 1000+ runs for each of next 5 years, he'd still be around 3K runs short of Tendulkar's eventual ODI runs' tally. He can however easily beat his ODI tons' tally.
 
Can surpass SRT odi tally but will find it hard to get past tests mark.
 
Already he has played at level of sachin/viv in ODIs and at ponting level in tests. So tier 1.5 for him right now.
Just needs to maintain this for next 5 years. Needs to reach 12000 test runs with 55 avg 45 centuries by age of 35-36.
Many many happy returns of the day legend. Wish I had the same passion in life/professional like you. India is so blessed to have sunny, sachin, kohli back to back.
 
Team India skipper Virat Kohli achieved yet another milestone in his record-breaking career by becoming the fourth Indian to score 1,000 Test runs in Australia. Needing five runs to achieve feat, the 30-year-old completed 1,000 runs during India's second innings of the first Test against Australia in Adelaide on Saturday. Kohli joined Sachin Tendulkar (1809), VVS Laxman (1236) and Rahul Dravid (1143) on the elite list. Interestingly, Kohli is the fastest Indian to score 1,000 Test runs on Australian soil in just 18 innings.

When it comes to the longest format of the game, Kohli's record has been quite impressive Down Under.

In the process, Kohli also completed 2,000 Test runs in away matches as skipper. No other Indian captain has achieved this feat and this will be a huge achievement for the flamboyant right-hander.

Kohli, who turned 30 last month, is the world's top-ranked batsman in both tests and one-day internationals, with over 1,000 runs in both formats in the calendar year.

He was the top scorer between both sides in South Africa with a hundred and a half century in a 2-1 series defeat, while in England he fared even better with two centuries and three fifties but still the tourists were beaten, 4-1.

The last time India toured Australia in 2014-15 Kohli scored four centuries in as many tests and notched 692 runs at a jaw-dropping average of 86.25. India ended up losing 2-0.

https://sports.ndtv.com/australia-v...to-score-1-000-test-runs-in-australia-1959590
 
Virat Kohli breaks another record as Test captain

Virat Kohli becomes the first asian test captain to beat Australia,England and South Africa on their soil in test. No Asian test captain present and past including Ganguly, Dhoni,Wasim,Dravid could achieve this feat. Brilliant! Congratulation Kohli. Now Virat has 25 test wins in 43 matches under his belt,just 2nd to Dhoni (27 test wins in 60 matches). Graham Smith leads the record with 53 wins in 109 test matches.
 
gazza619 said:
Tendulkar would never be forgetten.

Kohli still has to play another 5 years of quality and consistent cricket to get God like status in India.
Click to expand...
Nope never gonna happen , not doubting kohli but tendulkar was something special. We were basically Bangladesh esque poor and here was a young player who could play well against the best, it was basically tendulkar or bust. People switched off TV's and radios in chases when sachin got out, the first question one asked once he knew India were batting was is tendulkar still there. As good as kohli is there will never be another tendulkar.
 
If he captains India to World Cup win, he will cement his legacy as one of the top 5 cricketers of all time. As a batsman, he is already there.
 
Very good achievement but important to point out a few things.

No Asian played a Test in South Africa before 1992. Rules out all earlier captains. So basically its captains of last 25 years during which both SA and Aus have been dominant for most periods. Also, I do not think any other team has toured SA, Eng and Aus in the same year and with the same captain.

Dravid won a Test in SA in 2006-07, won the series in Eng in 2007 and resigned, Kumble then won a Test in 2007-08 series. Dravid could easily have done this .
 
A special player and a definite legend of the game 'already'. His impact and stature as a player transcends numbers. Despite numbers many other cricketers have not been able to capture the attention and impact the game nearly as much as Kohli's had.

The most frightening thing being he still has a lot of Cricket to go and he although he might drop his form a bit but in terms of numbers and stature he is only going to grow in the game.
 
I like his mature statement!

It obviously helps to have fast bowlers who are fit and accurate. "I guess I am just lucky that when they are at their peak I am the captain," Kohli said. "To be honest, I haven't gone scouting for them, they have been playing for a while and it is just that these five have come into their own when I was the captain. So I am not going to sit here and take credit for unleashing someone. They have been working hard on their game and as a captain, I am really proud to have these guys at the peak of their powers.
Click to expand...
 
Chief Destroyer said:
By the time he retires, India will forget about Tendulkar.
Click to expand...

My dear brother,

If you think so you might want to upgrade your knowledge about both Sachin and Indian great.

Even today if there is a show down Tendulkar's popularity exceeds Kohli's by light years.

Tendulkar's popularity transcends numbers. He is the mostly madly adored person ever in India arguably.
 
freelance_cricketer said:
My dear brother,

If you think so you might want to upgrade your knowledge about both Sachin and Indian great.

Even today if there is a show down Tendulkar's popularity exceeds Kohli's by light years.

Tendulkar's popularity transcends numbers. He is the mostly madly adored person ever in India arguably.
Click to expand...

Why so, how many matches he won for India. For his selfish 100th 100 we lost the match. Dravid had far more influence in most India wins rather than Sachin. He has most number of nervous 90s out which shows that how much he care for his hundred. He still contributing nothing to nation. There are batsmen who play only for team and there are player who play for themselves and take credit. How he cry for tax issue of his farrari, shows his true nature.
He is considered as god bcz there is no one available at that time. The time virat will retire people will remember him for his match winning contribution and not for mere individual runs.
 
Last edited:
Kohli becomes the Asian batsman with most test centuries in Australia.

Kohli has now equalled SRT with 6 away tons in Aus. He has now scored tons in Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Sydney. SRT made 6 away tons in 6 away tours , Kohli has done it in his 3rd tour and looks good for more!

I think Wally Hammond holds the record for most away tons in Australia with 8 or 9? Won't put it past Kohli to beat that record too !
 
Last edited:
100 on a real fast bouncy Perth wicket... He is easily in the top 5 greatest of all time, but still behind SRT...
 
That's what legends do, score in the most difficult places against the best bowlers in the world.
 
Kohli becomes the second fastest to 25 Test centuries

Bradman - 68 innings

Kohli - 127 innings

Sachin - 130 innings

Gavaskar - 138 innings

Hayden - 139 innings

Sobers - 147 innings
 
Kohli puts more fear into opposition than Tendulkar imo. In fact both Smith and Kohli are better than Tendulkar in this aspect, they can dominate opposition across the entire series when in form. Tendulkar was extremely consistent but lacked 'god mode', purple patches when batsmen become invincible for a single series.

Too bad rest of Indian batsmen aren't half as good as Kohli, and the new generation is nowhere as talented or mentally strong (yet).
 
Second greatest batsman of all time behind Bradman when scoring 100s on a consistent basis. He just needs 1 good WC to become the GOAT ODI batsman as well. In tests he's close to top 10 already, and might get into top 5 within next 3 years. Also argubaly GOAT batsman in T20Is.

In terms of domination across formats, he's ahead of Tendulkar and Viv imo. However he still needs to do well in WC to equal or surpass both.
 
Given his all around record in all formats, he is pretty much staking his claim for the 2nd best batsman from Asia and among the top 5-10 batsmen in world.
 
Overall he is the batsman of the decade comfortably ahead of AB, Smith, Root, KW, Sangakkara, Amla, Cook, Warner, Clarke, Younis etc. Purely as a test batsman I will still have him marginally behind Smith.
 
It's the hero-worship from some Indian fans that put other fans off.. Top 5 batsman of all time right now? Seriously?
 
I haven't seen any batsmen scoring so consistently all over the world. He is number 1,2 & 3 and already a legend.
 
IMO batsmen (all round) of the decades will be something like this:

60s: Sobers (only tests)
70s: Gavaskar (ODIs weren't big)
80s: Viv (ODIs gained prominence)
90s: Sachin
2000s: Ponting
2010s: Kohli (T20s gained acceptance)
 
Top five now, could be the greatest by the time he is done in 6-7 years.
 
Great achievement but Sachin did it against Australia when they had an aura and we were always much weaker in strength.
 
Congratulations Kohli, greatest batsmen of all time. Don't see anyone breaking Kohli's record
 
Swashbuckler said:
Great achievement but Sachin did it against Australia when they had an aura and we were always much weaker in strength.
Click to expand...

Sachin’s centuries per innings was probably much lower so it evens out in my opinion
 
Slog said:
Sachin’s centuries per innings was probably much lower so it evens out in my opinion
Click to expand...

Yeah but Sachin toured Australia as an 18 year old (1991-92) and also as a 38 year old (2011-12). Kohli's career is far from over, if he were to tour Australia in his later years I would expect his 100s/innings to dip. All ATG players have wonderful stats during their peak years but it takes a dip by the time their careers get over, especially Sachin was guilty of overextending his playing career a bit too much. Kohli reminds me of Ponting and the Aussie legend was at least as impressive during the 2002-08 period but even he couldn't escape Father Time.
 
Virat Kohli has become the second fastest batsmen to scored 25 Test hundreds as he reached the milestone in 127 innings on Day 3 of the Perth Test between India and Australia at the brand new Optus Stadium. Don Bradman took just a mere 68 innings to score 25 Test hundreds but Kohli has left Sachin Tendulkar behind who took 130 innings to score as many hundreds in Tests.

This is Virat Kohli's seventh Test hundred vs Australia while his 6th Down Under. In Oceania, Kohli has now scored 7th hundred while this is Indian captain's 14th hundred in away Tests. This is also Virat Kohli's 18th Test century as the captain of the team, which goes on to show exactly how much he has led his team from the front and has taken captaincy as a means to improve himself.

On Sunday, Virat Kohli brought up his 25th Test century and took India out of deep waters after he walked in to bat with Indian scoreboard reading 8/2. On a tough wicket that had quite a bit of bounce, Kohli reached his hundred in 214 deliveries.

With his sixth Test century in Australia, Kohli also equalled Sachin Tendulkar's record of most Test centuries by an Indian Down Under. Ahead of this tour, Kohli had scored five hundreds -- one in Adelaide in 2012 and four centuries if the 2014-15 tour which includes the twin hundreds at Adelaide.

Tendulkar and Kohli are the only two batsmen to slam six hundreds in Australia in the last 70 years.

Kohli also takes the second place in the list of most runs by a Test captain in away Tests in a calendar year. Virat Kohli has now scored 1029 runs in 10 Tests in 2018 while former South Africa captain Greame Smith tops the list, having scored 1212 runs in 11 matches in 2008.

Former Australia batsman Michael Hussey said on Saturday that he loved the intent with which Kohli batted and the Indian captain showed the same application from ball one on Sunday.

Starting the day on 82 not out, Virat Kohli took 12 overs on a new day to reach the three-figure mark. Once again the captain led from the front and tried to get India out of a precarious situation.

Earlier on the tour at Adelaide Oval, Kohli became the fastest Indian to score 1000 Test runs for India in Australia. He beat Don Bradman to the milestone by reaching the figure in nine Test matches while Don Bradman had reached the four-figure mark in his 10th Test at home.

On the way to this milestone, Kohli also became the only Indian skipper to score 2000 Test runs in away matches. He is also the first Indian captain to score 2000 Test runs both in India and overseas.

Kohli has now scored 1129 runs in 10 Tests in Australia at an average of 62.7. Kohli also has the second-best Test average among batsmen who have scored at least 500 Test runs in January 1, 2017.

Kane Williamson leads the list with an average of 67.47 in 20 innings. Kohli average 66.02 in 37 innings while Steve Smith is third with an average of 63.75 in 23 innings.

https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cr...-test-hundreds-don-bradman-1410447-2018-12-16
 
Joseph Gomes said:
Second greatest batsman of all time behind Bradman when scoring 100s on a consistent basis. He just needs 1 good WC to become the GOAT ODI batsman as well. In tests he's close to top 10 already, and might get into top 5 within next 3 years. Also argubaly GOAT batsman in T20Is.

In terms of domination across formats, he's ahead of Tendulkar and Viv imo. However he still needs to do well in WC to equal or surpass both.
Click to expand...

Calm down bhai.
 
Every where he plays he is now called king kohli by the best of best commentators.

High praise for him really
 
Swashbuckler said:
Great achievement but Sachin did it against Australia when they had an aura and we were always much weaker in strength.
Click to expand...

Another very important factor which goes missing is SRT performed when there was rampant fixing. When he made the debut, with the earlier crop was no other batsmen in sight who would take the attack to the opposition.

And lastly, the glorious bowling attack that we had.


Kohli has his own set of achievements, and his attitude+fitness are def his very own. Very glad to see expected advancement in those depts materializing.
 
No other batsman in the world tames the best attacks in their own den as consistently. Up there with Sachin for me.
 
'No Disrespect to Tendulkar, Lara or Ponting, But Haven't Seen Anyone Better Than Kohli' - Vaughan

Former England captain Michael Vaughan is convinced that he hasn't ever seen a better player than Virat Kohli. The Indian skipper crafted an astonishing 123 - his 25th Test century - in the second Test against Australia at Perth to keep his team in the game.

"I know we talk about Kohli a lot but he is different. I have not seen a better player. I’m not disrespecting Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara or Ricky Ponting but across three formats of the game I have not seen anyone better," Vaughan wrote in his column for Fox Sports.

"He has such high skill levels and an incredible mentality when it comes to dealing with the pressure of the chase. All that while dealing with a weight of expectation and adulation that only Sachin would have experienced."

India were bowled out for 283 in their first innings in reply to Australia's 326 on Day 3. Usman Khawaja, who is unbeaten on 41, then dragged Australia to 132 for 4 in their second essay before the curtains were drawn on the middle day of the second Test. Vaughan feels this is a perfect platform for Khawaja to step up and help the home team to set a good target for India.

"There is no better time than right now for Usman Khawaja to step up and make a major contribution for Australia," he wrote.

"Khawaja was kept quiet in the first innings but he’s a quality player with great numbers, particularly in Australia. It was never going to be too long before he stepped up with an innings of note. He went to stumps on day three on 41 not out and with this game on a knife’s edge, the team desperately needs him to carry on.

"If he can step up this innings when the team really needs him to it will fill him with confidence going to Melbourne and Sydney.

"Australia will be looking to set India a target above 250 but whatever they set they won’t be comfortable because of Virat Kohli."

The 44-year-old also praised Australian offspinner Nathan Lyon, who picked up five wickets.

"Whatever happens tomorrow we look set for another great finish in what has been a great year for Test cricket," Vaughan added.

"The good news for Australia is they have Nathan Lyon. He’s taken 331 wickets now and he still looks fit and strong — he has to be to get so much energy on the ball over after over, week after week. I do not see him retiring anytime soon. Who knows how far up that wickets column he could finish."
Click to expand...


Link: https://www.news18.com/cricketnext/...anyone-better-than-kohli-vaughan-1975321.html
 
With his efforts in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, India captain Virat Kohli overtook Rahul Dravid on the list of top scorers for India in overseas Tests in any calendar year.

Kohli missed out on a century, being dismissed by Mitchell Starc for 82 on Thursday, 27 December, day two of the third Test against Australia. Yet, it was enough for him to go ahead of Dravid as the most successful Indian batsman abroad in a calendar year.

Dravid had made 1137 runs from 11 matches in 2002. This included centuries in the West Indies (144*, Georgetown) and England (115 in Nottingham, 148 in Leeds and 217 at The Oval), and decent returns in New Zealand. He had four half-centuries as well from 18 innings, averaging 66.88 for the period.

Kohli's knocks have come in South Africa, England and Australia. He too has four centuries so far: 153 at Centurion, 149 in Birmingham, 103 in Nottingham and 123 in Perth – to go with five fifties, giving him an average of 54.19. It puts him on 1138 runs for the year, just ahead of Dravid, but he's not necessarily done yet.

The India captain still has a chance to add to his tally in the second innings of the Boxing Day Test.

Top scorers in overseas Tests in any calendar year:

Player Matches Runs Top score Year Countries
Graeme Smith (SA) 11 1212 232 2008 Bangladesh, India, England, Australia
Viv Richards (WI) 7 1154 291 1976 Australia, England
Virat Kohli (Ind) 11 1138 153 2018 South Africa, England, Australia
Rahul Dravid (Ind) 11 1137 217 2002 West Indies, England, New Zealand
Mohinder Amarnath (Ind) 9 1065 120 1983 Pakistan, West Indies

With one innings to go, Kohli is comfortably ahead on the list of leading run-getters for 2018. Overall in Tests, this year he has 1322 runs so far, with Kusal Mendis, who is playing against New Zealand in Christchurch, and Joe Root following him on 956 runs so far and 948 runs respectively.

Given how teams struggle in overseas conditions, these numbers go some way in highlighting just why Kohli is No.1 on the MRF Tyres ICC Test Rankings for Batsmen.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/957794
 
Interesting stat. And its been a pre dominantly a bowlers year. There has not been a single draw when India has played. And all the matches he has played has been against the 3 brilliant bowling attacks.
 
Considering Kohli's not so impressive stats in 2nd innings, don't think he'll break Smith's record.
 
MP2011 said:
Considering Kohli's not so impressive stats in 2nd innings, don't think he'll break Smith's record.
Click to expand...

After scoring nearly 450 and with the weather forecast, I doubt it will come to Kohli getting a long bat in the 2nd innings.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Bhaijaan
Where does Virat Kohli rank among the most influential Cricketers ever?
Replies
9
Views
618
Mamoon
Mamoon
S
Grading the all-time great Test batters: A Tier-Based System
Replies
2
Views
146
Hikaru
Hikaru
Hitman
[VIDEO] Top 50 Test Batters of All Time
2
Replies
126
Views
2K
Ab Fan
Ab Fan
R
Could the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma explain Pakistan’s aggressive attitude towards India?
Replies
11
Views
505
Flat_Track_Bully
Flat_Track_Bully
N
Why Steve Smith is still the undisputed second greatest Test batter of all time?
2 3 4
Replies
258
Views
4K
BouncerGuy
BouncerGuy
Back
Top