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India Vs South Africa
Legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar on Sunday hailed Virat Kohli as the greatest one-day cricketer of all time, saying the Indian icon's world-record tally of centuries underline his unmatched stature in the format. Kohli on Sunday brought up his 52nd ODI century, amassing 135 off 120 balls to help India post 349 for 8 against South Africa in the first ODI. "I don't think there's any doubt about that. I mean, it's not just me. I think those who have played with him and against him, they all agree that he is the greatest in the one-day format," Gavaskar told Jiostar. "Look, you scored 52 hundreds. That actually sets you up right up there in stratosphere, so to speak." The former India captain pointed out that even Australia's Ricky Ponting had acknowledged Kohli's brilliance. "I just heard that Ricky Ponting said that Kohli's the best that he's seen in one-day cricket. I mean, when an Australian captain says that -- and everyone will agree that it is rare, very rare to get praise from
India skipper KL Rahul marvelled at the ability of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to make the opposition look "silly" after the stalwarts came up with defining knocks against South Africa in the first ODI here on Sunday. Kohli made his 52nd ODI hundred, a 120-ball 135, and Rohit a well-crafted 57 as India celebrated a tight 17-run win over the Proteas to take 1-0 lead in the three-match series. "Watching Rohit and Kohli play like that is always fun. They've made oppositions look silly and show why they are who they are. I've seen this for a long time, it's a lot more fun to see them around in the dressing room," said Rahul in the post-match presentation. However, the close nature of the match made him a bit nervous towards the end. "I'd be lying if I said there were no butterflies in my stomach. We're playing ODI cricket after a while. There's some expectation. "But we kept taking wickets and the bowlers stuck to their plans. They pushed us and kept coming hard." The wicketkeeper b
For Virat Kohli, the mental aspect of batsmanship visualising game situations, feeling intense and sharp at the same time holds more value than over-preparation which has never been his philosophy. Returning to international action after a gap of a month, Kohli smashed his 52nd ODI and 83rd international century during the first match against South Africa, a classic 135 off 120 balls. "I have never been a believer of a lot of preparation. All my cricket has been mental. I work physically very hard, as long as my fitness levels are up and I am feeling well, it's good," said Kohli, in his own inimitable way, making clear what he feels about all those who are skeptical about his lack of match time. Maybe not in as many words but if one reads between the lines of Kohli's statement, it is not difficult to understand what he feels about playing in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, which the national selection committee wants him to do. "I've played 300-odd ODI games and so much cricket