Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has picked India skipper Virat Kohli over batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and Australia’s Steve Smith.
In a live Instagram session with former Zimbabwean cricketer Pommie Mbangwa, Pietersen his chasing ability makes him a better batsman than Smith and Sachin.
When asked to pick one between Kohli and Smith, Pietersen said: “Kohli is a freakshow, his record chasing winning games for India with the amount of pressure he lives under, Smith does not even come close to him”.
When asked to choose between Kohli and Tendulkar, Pietersen again pointed out the chasing record of the 31-year-old Indian skipper.
“Again, Virat because of his chasing numbers. His chasing numbers are frightening, he averages more than 80 when it comes to chasing, he consistently wins games for India, he keeps on turning the numbers, and this matters to me as to how many games you win for your country,” Pietersen said.
Tendulkar scored 5490 runs at an average of 55.45 across 124 innings in successful ODI run chases during his entire career while Virat Kohli has already amassed 5388 runs at an average of 96.21 across 86 innings in the matches where he has helped India reach the target.
Kohli’s records, especially in the white-ball format, are staggering. The classy right-hander averages above 50 in all forms of international cricket. In Tests, he has scored 7240 runs at an average of 53.62 and in ODIs, he has scored 11867 runs at an average of almost 60. In the shortest format, Kohli has played 82 matches in which he has scored 2794 runs.
Kohli is constantly rated as the best batsman in the world because of his adaptability to different situations and different formats.