344 runs at an average of 114.66, Indian vice-captain Virat Kohli took to the ascendancy as the top ranked ODI batsman in the latest ICC Rankings.
344 runs at an average of 114.66, Indian vice-captain Virat Kohli took to the ascendancy as the top ranked ODI batsman in the latest ICC Rankings. Stellar performances with the bat during the recently concluded ODI series with Australia saw Kohli put up a brilliant batting display against a skilled Oz bowling attack. Kohli had scores of 61 (in Pune), 100 not out (in Jaipur), 68 (in Mohali), 115 not out (in Nagpur) and 0 (in Bengaluru). He has achieved the number-one spot for the first time in his career, just a few days before his 25th birthday.
Kohli has now become the third Indian batsman to hold the number-one batting rank in ODI cricket, after Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. Tendulkar first claimed the number one position in February 1996, when he took over from Brian Lara. In March 2008 he held the position for the last time.
The Delhi lad who turns 25 on Tuesday has been the talk of the town since his display of attacking skills in the Jaipur ODI where he became India’s fastest centurion (61 balls). Ever since, Kohli has been receiving compliments and have also been compared with the Master Blaster. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar went on the record to say that Virat can go on to break Tendulkar’s record number of ODI centuries. That was not all, as former Australian skipper Ian Chappell joined in the bandwagon of experts to say that Virat Kohli can fill in the big shoes of retiring Sachin Tendulkar, describing the youngster as the ‘prince’ of Indian cricket.
He says, “He (Kohli) is now set to take over not only Tendulkar’s coveted No. 4 spot but also his mantle as the Indian player opponents most want out. Long remember the king for he’s (nearly) gone; hail the prince, because he’s still around to torment bowlers,” he said.
With such compliments flowing Kohli’s way, that time is not far away when Indian crowd will cheer onto the chants of ‘Kohli, Kohli’ all around!
With Agencies inputs
