"He is a phenomenal player"- Australian Great picks Virat Kohli as "best all-format player" in the world
It took over 1000 days for the former Indian skipper Virat Kohli to reach a triple figure mark in the international cricket. Virat scored his 70th century in November 2019 in a pink-ball test against Bangladesh, and after that, he saw a decline in his batting form.
That resulted in him facing a lot of criticism from former cricketers and cricket pundits. Some also demanded that the BCCI replace him from the T20I squad and give his place to any young players who are waiting in the wings. But then Virat showed his vintage form.
The former Indian skipper reached his long-awaited 71st international century against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup 2022, and things took a major turnaround from that moment. And it was Virat who was almost unstoppable in the T20 World Cup and ended as the highest run-scorer in the tournament.
He scored 295 runs in six games at an unbelievable average of 98.67 and a strike rate of 136.41. He also scored four half-centuries in the tournament. His performance earned him praise from all over the world, including some of the other modern-day greats.
Former Australian captain and one of the best batters in modern-day cricket, Steve Smith, has lauded Virat Kohli for his consistent performance throughout his career and has also termed him a "phenomenal player" in all three formats.
Smith said, "He (Virat Kohli) is a world class player in all three formats of the game. He has struck a lot of runs and he is a phenomenal player."
Best all format player itw
— Gaurav (@82Downunder) November 15, 2022
Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne on virat kohli pic.twitter.com/Xk5awJXKQL
The former Indian captain began his World Cup campaign with an incredible unbeaten 82 at the MCG against archrivals Pakistan, which came at a time when India were well behind, and he single-handedly carried India over the line to play one of the best T20I knocks ever played.
Then he scored two unbeaten knocks of 62 and 64 against the Netherlands and Bangladesh in the "Super 12," which helped India reach the semi-final of the tournament. He also scored 50 off 40 against England in the semi-final at Adelaide Oval, but India lost the game. Despite India's loss, Virat ended the tournament with the most runs.