There have been dry moments in his career, but for former Australian great Justin Langer, Virat Kohli still remains the ‘best player ever.’ Kohli, who commenced India’s current tour of Australia with a century in the series opener, has so far failed to build on that performance and has perished in quick succession while chasing delivery after delivery outside the off-stump.
Visibly dominant, Kohli restricted himself from letting the ball go outside the off-stump in the first innings of the ongoing 4th Test now being played in Melbourne. The ex-captain had settled comfortably enough to suggest he is in for the long haul but late in the second session on the second day, Scott Boland had him caught behind for 36.
In fact, Langer lent himself to responding to a query from former Australia batter Mark Waugh about why he would bet his life and last dollar on Kohli despite being privileged to have played with/against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting.
“Mark, you asked me why I said yesterday Virat Kohli is the best player that I have ever seen, and some eybrows were raised,” says Langer, “But it is indeed true.” “We talk about Sachin… What a player. One of the most treasured occasions in my life was playing against Sachin Tendulkar and, of course, with Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara. If I had my last rupee or my last dollar, I would pay to watch Brian Lara bat, but if I had my life and my last dollar, and both of them together, I would have Virat Kohli batting for me.”
These characters highlight the wonderful qualities within him concerning fitness and the leadership style point out the array of shots at Kohli’s disposal.
That’s why I say it’s not because of his hangar shots, cover drives, or hook shots. After you notice how keenly he watches the ball, how quickly he runs between wickets, his sharp fielding, his gladiatorial style of leadership, and, most importantly, at his elite fitness level, everything he has to bring to the table speaks for itself. His numbers are just too great to argue with. Those are indeed the reason he stands as the best player I have ever seen. And we have seen a lot of them. But he is the one player, I think; if I had to place my money on him, he would be the one,” he said.
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