Former Australia cricketer Ian Chappell has opined that Virat Kohli is currently the best batter in Test cricket. According to Chappell, six batters- Joe Root, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Babar Azam and Marnus Labuschagne- are vying for the top spot in Test cricket. And after statistically analysing these cricketers, Chappell concluded that “it is hard to surpass" Kohli.
Chappell, while writing for ESPNcricinfo, considered Kohli a “highly competitive" player. “It is hard to choose the best player from that talented group. And when you consider that some old-timers preferred Victor Trumper’s artistic style over the acknowledged best batter, Sir Donald Bradman, the difficulty is not surprising. From among these players on their best days, it’s hard to surpass the highly competitive Kohli," the 79-year-old wrote.
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While talking about Kohli’s style of playing, Chappell pointed out that the former India skipper is a “fine player with a great stroke range." Chappell feels that Kohli is “highly competitive" and has a “thoughtful approach to batting."
Chappell further stated the two centuries scored by Kohli against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in 2014 will remain his favourite innings among the ones played by the other top-five cricketers.
In that match, Kohli had produced a remarkable show and scored115 in the first innings. The then-India skipper carried forward his brilliance in the second innings and pulled off another sublime knock. Kohli scored 141 in the second innings. However, his magnificent batting eventually proved to be inconsequential as India had to suffer a heart-breaking 48-run defeat in the match.
In Test cricket, Kohli made his debut in 2011 against West Indies. The 33-year-old has played 102 matches so far, scoring 8074 runs at an average of 49.53 in Tests. His strike rate in Tests has been 55.68. Kohli has 27 centuries and 28 half-centuries in his kitty in the longest format of the game. Moreover, Kohli has seven double hundreds to his name in this format. In Tests, he was last seen in action in the fifth Test against England in Birmingham earlier this year in July.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli is all set to take part in the T20 World Cup scheduled to start on October 16 in Australia.
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