Mohammad Hafeez, Virat Kohli, Babar Azam
Mohammad Hafeez and Virat Kohli. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

Pakistan star batsman Mohammad Hafeez has hailed India skipper Virat Kohli as the best batsman of this generation.

Ranked fifth in Test cricket and number one in ODIs and T20Is, Virat Kohli’s international record has been nothing short of astonishing.

The 28-year-old is the only cricketer who had recently become the first-ever player to have an average of 50-plus in all the formats of the game. His current Test average is 49.55 while his averages in ODIs and T20Is are 54.54 and 52.96, respectively.

While his record in Tests and T20Is can make any player envy, his records in One-Day Internationals are truly unprecedented. With an astonishing 28 centuries in just 192 ODIs, the right-handed batsman is third on the list of all-time leading Centurions in the 50-over format, leaving behind the like of Sourav Ganguly, Brian Lara, Sanath Jayasuriya and many more legends of the game. Only the legendary Sachin Tendulkar (49) and Ricky Ponting (30) have more ODI hundreds than Kohli.

Kohli’s unbelievable prowess with the bat has already convinced many that he is ahead of his contemporaries likes Joe Root, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith and Hafeez is also one of them. The former Pakistan captain, who played a crucial knock in the final of this year’s Champions Trophy, was having a question and answer session on Twitter when one fan asked him his pick for the best batsman of this generation.

In reply, Hafeez wrote:

“There r few around the world, but @imVkohli is the best among all.”

Recently, Hafeez’s compatriot Mohammad Amir, who had rocked India’s top-order during the final of the Champions Trophy, also called Kohli the best batsman in the world during a chat session on Twitter.