Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting lauded India’s talismanic batter Virat Kohli after he scored a match-winning knock against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Sunday. Chasing 242 runs, Kohli scored an unbeaten knock of 100 runs off 111 balls with the help of seven fours.
The talisman scored some sumptuous cover drives in the nascent stages of his innings and batted at the top of his game. Ponting noted that the big names always deliver in the big games and Kohli has been doing the same throughout his career.
This was Kohli’s 51st ODI century and his 82nd International hundred. Kohli also became the fastest to reach 14000 ODI runs, getting there in 287 innings.
“I’ve always said big games equal big names. You need your big names to stand up in those big moments, and no bigger game for India than a game against Pakistan. Your reputation is forged in what you do in the biggest contests on the international stage. So it’s no surprise to me that that has happened,” Ponting said on ICC Review (via ICC’s official website).
“And no bigger moment than last night when Pakistan had batted first on a tricky wicket. It needed someone at the top of the order to play a match-winning innings like that. And once again, it was Kohli to get the job done,” he added.
Ponting tipped Kohli as the greatest 50-over player he has seen in ODI cricket.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better 50-over player than Virat Kohli. Now that he’s gone past me and only two ahead of him, I’m sure he would want to give himself the best chance to be remembered as the all-time leading run scorer in the game,” Ponting said.
“As long as the hunger’s there, obviously physical-wise, he’s probably as fit as he’s ever been and works exceptionally hard on that side of his game,” he concluded.
Kohli has an incredible record while chasing in the ODI format and he continued his love affair of performing consistently against Pakistan.
India will next take on New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on 2nd March.
