Former India captain Sourav Ganguly was the latest to join the bandwagon of people singing praises for incumbent Virat Kohli after the 29-year-old struck his 34th one-day century.
Kohli’s unbeaten 160 in the third One-Day International against South Africa on Wednesday helped India taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the six-match series. Only Sachin Tendulkar has scored more centuries in the 50-over format – 49 – than Kohli.
“What is there to say about Virat?” wrote Ganguly in a column for the Times of India. “I have been fortunate enough to play with and against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Ricky Ponting, and Brian Lara, and this man is right up there with all of them.”
He added, “What stands out for me is not just [Kohli’s] amazing control and his ability to adjust but also the energy and intensity he brings to his batting in each and every innings.”
Ganguly also said that scoring 34 ODI centuries was “just out of the world”, adding that the fact that no other Indian batsman has scored a ton so far during India’s tour of South Africa “shows what quality of batsmanship Kohli has displayed” on this trip.
“And we still have a while to go!” he wrote.
India and South Africa play the fourth ODI of the series on Saturday.