Ricky Ponting praised Virat Kohli as the best ODI player he has seen and backed him to surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most runs in ODIs. Kohli’s impressive performance, including his 51st ODI century, helped India defeat Pakistan in a Champions Trophy match. With 14,085 runs, Kohli is 4,341 runs behind Tendulkar, yet Ponting believes Kohli’s fitness and dedication make this task achievable. He noted that Kohli thrives in high-pressure matches, especially against Pakistan, while criticizing Pakistani batters Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan for not performing to expectations in early games.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting expressed that he hasn’t encountered a “better player” than Virat Kohli in ODIs and believes the Indian batting sensation is on track to surpass the legendary Sachin Tendulkar as the highest run-scorer in the 50-over format. Kohli produced an outstanding unbeaten 100, his 51st in ODIs, leading India to a six-wicket victory over Pakistan in a Champions Trophy match on Sunday. “I’ve never seen a better 50-over player than Virat Kohli. Now that he’s overtaken me (on the run-scorers list) with just two (batsmen) ahead of him, I’m certain he wants to give himself the best opportunity to be remembered as the all-time leading run-scorer in the game,” Ponting stated during the ICC Review.
While achieving that century, Kohli also surpassed the 14,000-run mark in one-day internationals, joining the ranks of former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara and Tendulkar in a select group.
Kohli (14,085 runs) still trails Tendulkar (18,426) by 4,341 runs, and at 36, the distinguished batsman has a limited timeframe to surpass Tendulkar’s record.
However, Ponting did not consider this an unfeasible challenge for Kohli.
“From a physical standpoint, he’s probably as fit as he’s ever been and puts in tremendous effort in that aspect of his game. It’s astonishing when you think about how remarkable Virat has been over such a lengthy period, yet he’s still 4,000 runs shy of Sachin.
“It illustrates how exceptional Sachin was, as well as his durability in the sport. But with someone like Virat, you never count him out. If the drive is still there, then I won’t write him off (surpassing Tendulkar),” he added.
Ponting pointed out that matches against Pakistan often inspire Kohli to perform at his best, labeling him a big-match player.
“Yeah, 2022 (T20 WC) and now, he excelled against the team he likely prepares himself the most to face. When Pakistan batted first on a challenging pitch, it required someone at the top of the order to produce a match-winning innings like that.
“Once again, it was Kohli who delivered. He has been a champion player for an extended period. Particularly in white-ball formats, where he has been an extraordinarily effective 50-over player,” said the Australian.
Ponting emphasized that Kohli’s century was pivotal in determining the outcome between India and Pakistan that evening.
“When you examine the two scorecards, you see Virat hitting a hundred, while many Pakistani players got starts without converting them into substantial scores.
“I’ve always said that in any format of the game, a 50 doesn’t win you or your team anything. You need to achieve big scores. There were no significant individual scores, and the vital partnerships were also absent,” Ponting remarked.
The Tasmanian noted that senior batsmen Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan failed to perform to expectations for Pakistan.
“They haven’t been able to deliver their best to the team. Those two needed to rise to the occasion,” Ponting commented.
“They had to score significant runs, and they haven’t achieved that in the opening matches, which could be why Pakistan might not make it to the semi-finals.”
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