Kohli is slightly ahead of everyone else: Sourav Ganguly

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly could not control himself from showering praise on Virat Kohli. Kohli’s has had an amazing run this year. He scored brisk centuries in the ODIs down under. He followed it up with a brilliant World T20 outing and an excellent run in the IPL. He translated his good run in limited overs to the longest format of the game. With 3 double centuries to his name this year, Kohli has surely made a mark for himself. No wonder why he is drawing praises from all corners.

In a recent talk with ESPNcricinfo, Sourav Ganguly opined no different. He picked up Virat as the best batsman in world cricket at the moment. “You cannot forget AB de Villiers, he is as good as Kohli although he has been out with injuries in recent times. But when you look at the runs scores in all the three formats, Kohli has probably been the best batsman of 2016,” he quoted. There have been remarks that Kohli only scores in Indian conditions. Ganguly contradicted the point citing his success in Australia.

“Kohli scored four back to back hundreds in Australia, so we cannot say that he scores only in India. And given the number of runs Kohli has scored across all formats – be it ODIs or T20I – I think Kohli is the best batsman,” he added. Adding further, Sourav Ganguly mentioned that all the good knocks from Kohli’s willow has come in pressure situations. He said the Test skipper has led from the front whenever the situation has demanded so.

“It’s not just the averages that made Kohli stand out as a batsman this year, but it also the way he has scored those runs. Most of his runs came under pressure situations. He was the standout performer when his team needed him whether it was when India were down 28 for 2 at Vizag, or in Mumbai when England posted 400 in the first innings. He led from the front to score a superb 235 and completely shut England to take India to match winnings position,” quoted the former cricketer.

The name that Kohli has made for himself in ODIs is that of a great chase master. Sourav Ganguly went on to reiterate the same. He said, “Whenever India bat second, Kohli comes in and delivers. Yes, we might have some great players from other teams, but Kohli is slightly ahead of everyone else.”

Jonathan Trott, the former England cricketer, was also present at the show. He is keen on watching how Kohli fares up when India tour England for a 5-match Test series. “It’s just a matter of time. India has a five-Test series coming up in England, and Virat should be able to score runs in those conditions,” he quoted.