Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has praised Indian superstar batsman Virat Kohli as the finest one-day international cricketer he has ever seen.
Kohli has been in fantastic form throughout the first half of the 2023 World Cup, scoring 13,437 runs and hitting 48 hundreds. With 354 runs in five games at an average of 118 and a strike rate of 90.53, the 34-year-old is the fifth-leading run-scorer.
His achievements include a critical 85 in India’s opener against Australia, as well as 103* and 95 in their previous two triumphs over Bangladesh and New Zealand, respectively.
In a conversation with the ICC, Ricky Ponting commended the impressive start Virat Kohli has made to the tournament. He also mentioned that Team India would greatly benefit if this form continues towards the later stages of the World Cup.
“Virat is Virat, he’s the best 50-over player that I’ve ever seen. His record speaks for itself and with that being said, he’s got off to a great start to this tournament. But I reckon India would probably rather him going better in the back half of the tournament than the start.”
Ricky Ponting
Kohli’s dominance has helped India remain unbeaten in the competition after five games as they seek a third ODI World Cup victory. The 34-year-old has 1,384 runs at an average of 55.36, including three centuries, in the 50-over World Cups.
“Joe Root has elevated his game to another level across all three formats” – Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting also lavished praise on another modern great, Joe Root, for being the rock that anchors England’s middle order throughout formats.
Root is one of the top hitters of this generation, with an ODI average of 48.27 and 16 hundreds. The 32-year-old kicked off the 2023 World Cup in spectacular fashion, scoring 77 and 82 against New Zealand and Bangladesh, respectively.
However, the graph has subsequently dipped, with the champion hitter scoring just 16 runs in his last three innings.
“Joe Root has elevated his game to another level across all three formats,” Ponting continued. “What he has been able to do in the Test game has been outstanding and that’s flown into his ODI batting.
“He holds a pretty good spot in England’s middle order and when you talk about leaders needing to stand up, he is one that England need to stand up and make big runs in the backend of this tournament if they are going to go any further.”
Ricky Ponting
England’s tournament performance has matched Root’s batting, with the team losing three consecutive games after a 1-1 start.
With their championship defense hanging by a thread, England will face India in a blockbuster match on Sunday, October 29 in Lucknow.
