Team India skipper Virat Kohli is arguably the greatest batsman of the modern-day generation. He has been a prolific run scorer for his nation across all three formats and his records speak of his credentials in nutshell.
In his 10-year-old career so far, Virat Kohli has already smashed 34 One-day Internationals centuries. Moreover, he registered 22 Test tons and has also been the No.1 Twenty20 player in the recent past.
However, there are players in the contemporary cricket who can match up to the skill of Virat despite not having the same amount of consistency.
The batting giant Virat has been termed as Superman by many cricketing pundits. The records he boasts especially in limited overs cricket speaks volumes about his brilliance. And he is marching towards something extraordinary.
The 29-year-old Kohli is also nearing 10,000 ODI runs. With that sort of form, he has been in it shouldn’t take much more time. Now, there are players in international cricket who are as effective as Kohli.
So now, let us have a look at five players from the modern generation who can be the nearest competitors of Virat Kohli:
Hashim Amla –
The South African batsman has been one of the greatest modern day players but he hasn’t been noticed someone like Virat Kohli and Australian skipper Steve Smith. He has been someone who has done his business in a silent way.
Amla has a tremendous record across formats and with 54 international centuries to his name he is undoubtedly one of the superstars of the game. He has been in prolific form but given his age, he might hardly go on to play for four years more.
Steve Smith –
The Aussie skipper is arguably the nearest competitor to Indian skipper Virat Kohli.
With a staggering Test average of 63.75 Smith is the best Test player at the moment and without a doubt will go on as one of the greatest Aussie batsmen of all time.
Starting off as a leg-spinner, his journey has been quite phenomenal. He has already smashed 23 Test hundreds and also boasts of a reasonable ODI record as well.
AB de Villiers –
Mr 360 is something exceptional. The way he plays around with the bowlers especially in limited overs format something extraordinary.
De Villiers is on neck and neck with Virat Kohli in ODI’s and also has a sensational record in Tests and Twenty20 format
The exquisite timer of the ball de Villiers can play all through the wicket. Interestingly, Kohli admires his style of play. He has been seen applauding De Villiers after a particular innings for his Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Kane Williamson –
The New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has been the stalwart for his nation in the middle-order. Despite having a particularly defensive style of play, he has evolved his game in a sensational manner. He boasts of an exceptional record and is undoubtedly regarded as one of the modern greats of the game.
Williamson has scored 5214 and 4978 runs in his Test and ODI career respectively with an average of 50.62 and 46.52.
David Warner –
David Warner, the Aussie southpaw is another sensational player and has been a prolific run scorer for them.
Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly rated him as the best modern-day left-handed batsman. He has some exceptional knocks and has taken his team to victories from a hopeless situation.
Warner is seen as a left-handed version of Virender Sehwag. The fearless attitude is something you can see a resemblance with the “Nawab of Najafgarh”. He is also the skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and will look to help his franchise lift their second title.
Follow more about the world of sports here: Sportzwiki, 2018