New Delhi: Legendary England pacer James Anderson has hailed Team India star Virat Kohli as the greatest finisher and one of the best batters in white-ball cricket. Anderson, who retired from international cricket earlier this year, is the only fast bowler with more than 700 wickets in Test cricket and is the third-highest wicket-taker of all time in the longest format behind only legends Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan.
Anderson enjoyed a great rivalry with Kohli in Tests during his playing days as the duo came up against each other on several occasions. They also got the better of each other on many occasions and enjoyed some epic battles on the field. The England legend praised Kohli’s ‘mentality’ as he lauded the Team India batter for his incredible record while chasing in white-ball cricket.
“I do not know if there is been a better batter in the history of the game batting second and chasing down scores than Virat Kohli. His record at chasing is absolutely phenomenal. The number of hundreds he has scored in the second innings, chasing down scores is ridiculous,” Anderson said on the Tailenders Podcast.
“It is no surprise that when he gets in that situation, with his mentality, it is just like it is meant to be. His self-belief is so high,” he added.
A mentality monster right from the early days of his international career, Kohli’s faith in his prowess and his ability to take his game a notch higher under pressure helped him become a chase master for India in white-ball cricket. One of the best batters of the present era, Kohli’s incredible consistency recently saw him become the first man to complete 50 centuries in ODIs, breaking the record held by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
” I don’t know if there’s been a better batter in the history of the game batting second and chasing down scores than him….Virat Kohli is probably the greatest finisher and white ball batter ever”
– James Anderson pic.twitter.com/RhIdZBfEOM
— Gaurav (@Melbourne__82) August 27, 2024
On being asked if he rates Kohli as the greatest white-ball batter ever, Anderson, who played against some of the best batters of all time, including Tendulkar, insisted he only was thinking about great finishers and couldn’t think of someone better than the Team India star. Anderson mentioned Australia great Michael Bevan, who was one of the best finishers in ODIs during his playing days, but insisted he couldn’t think of a better finisher or greater white-ball batter than Kohli.
“I cannot say that. I was thinking more in terms of just chasing. Michael Bevan from Australia comes to my mind, particularly in the late 1990s and early 2000s – he was just phenomenal coming in at number six and doing that job,” Anderson explained.
“Kohli batting at number 3 gets those hundreds while Bevan was renowned for getting his 50s, 60s and being at the end, while Kohli gets the big score, to get his teams over the line. I honestly can’t think of a better finisher and greater white-ball players than him (Kohli),” he added.
Virat Kohli’s incredible record while chasing
Kohli has an incredible record for India while chasing in white-ball cricket. He has amassed an impressive 7,852 runs in 162 matches in ODIs averaging an excellent 64.36, with the help of 27 centuries and 40 fifties.
In T20Is, Kohli has scored 2,013 runs in 53 matches at a brilliant average of 67.10 and a strike rate of 136.47 while chasing. He has notched up 20 fifties in T20Is for India while chasing and has produced numerous chasing masterclasses to bail the team out of trouble and get them over the line from pressure situations.
Overall, Kohli is currently the third-highest run-getter of all time in ODIs with 13,906 runs from 295 matches, including 50 centuries and 72 fifties. He retired from T20Is earlier this year as the second-highest run-getter of all time in the shortest format with 4,188 runs, including 38 fifties.
England legend James Anderson heaped praise on Team India star Virat Kohli stating that he hasn’t seen a better finisher than him in white-ball cricket. Kohli has a phenomenal record for India while chasing. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
