The Greatest ODI Batsman: Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is the greatest ODI batsman. Ever. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably not an avid watcher of the sport (controversial, I know). There is nothing more to it, there never will be. None come close to the brilliance of Virat.

No Stats, Just Emotions

I think everyone here knows a stat or two about the things Kohli has achieved. Obviously, this prompts us to talk about him as the greatest ODI batsman ever.

His record far supercedes the greats of the ODI game. His name is drawn in the same breath as Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting & many others!

The greatness of Sachin Tendulkar is something I will never truly be able to capture. I owe this to the fact that I started watching cricket intently only in 2008! While he will always be batting perfection, our generation will never know Sachin like the previous generation. Similarly, this generation will never know Virat like we have!

Kohli Over The Years

From my earliest days of judiciously watching Indian cricket, one player that always captured my imagination was Virat Kohli. He was so interestingly different, you could see it even then!

To say that I was fond of him would be an understatement. This was a man who almost immediately impacted me, just by the manner in which he held himself and the manner in which he crafted each inning that he played.

He walked out with purpose, he looked hungrier every time he occupied the crease. Heck, I couldn’t even emulate his record and consistency in gully cricket!

Such was the prowess of his ability and perfection of his craft. There was a brashness about him, he was in your face- unapologetic, ruthless, and disdainful.

From that hundred on his World Cup debut against Bangladesh to the swashbuckling century down under against Sri Lanka in the CB Series to the superhuman knock against Pakistan in the ICC WT20 2022, Virat has played some memorable innings over the years.

If I sat down to list each one of them, we would go down a fond memory lane, one filled with great cricketing passion and the great conquests of a warrior.

The rise of Virat Kohli the batsman has been a story of incredible grit, determination, and discipline.

The Greatest ODI Batsman is Selfish

Dare I say, the emotions and opinions around Virat have been many and large! For someone who wears his heart on his sleeve, deviating from the expected ‘gentlemanesque’ behaviour seemed to rile up a bunch of people in different ways.

While Kohli has copped his fair share of criticism and been accused of playing selfish innings, people in this country often tend to forget the greatness of the man. I don’t blame them- In a country that has produce the likes of Tendulkar, Dravid, Gavaskar, Dhoni and many more, it is often easier to criticise than to admire what we are witnessing.

I think the article, “Unapologetically yours, Virat Kohli” beautifully encompasses Kohli, what he has achieved and the buzz around the man- both on & off the field!

There have been few of Kohli’s class, few with his type of hunger and very few who have carried their national teams for a fair few matches like he has.

The 2023 ODI World Cup has definitely given us confirmation that Kohli is the greatest ODI Batsman of all time. He will remain there for a very very long time and our grandkids will know about him, that I promise!

Also Read: Indian Fast Bowling Brilliance in the ODI World Cup 2023