Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Is run machine Kohli greatest player ever?

A fairy-tale ending of lifting the World Cup on home soil wasn't meant to be for Kohli, but his record-breaking 765 runs at 95.62 was a monumental effort on his part

Is run machine Kohli greatest player ever?

VIRAT KOHLI has long been on the cusp of batting greatness, and at 35, he is making a solid case to be considered the greatest 50-overs player of all time after a run-laden World Cup.

A fairy-tale ending of lifting the World Cup on home soil wasn’t meant to be for Kohli and his India teammates, but his recordbreaking 765 runs at 95.62 was a monumental effort on his part.


Sachin Tendulkar was the game’s premier batsman until he retired in 2013, and Kohli has inherited that mantle from his compatriot, dominating the game for long stretches in the past decade.

Initially, Kohli was part of batting’s “Fab Four” alongside England’s Joe Root, Australia’s Steve Smith and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson. While others have faded somewhat recently, Kohli has been burning brightly, and pulling ahead of his peers.

From 2011 to 2019, Kohli scored more than 1,000 ODI runs a year seven times before going nearly three years without a hundred in international cricket. But the right-hander ended that drought in September last year and has been at his prolific best at the World Cup, where he was the runaway topscorer, hitting three centuries in the tournament.

He overtook Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI hundreds in Mumbai last Wednesday (15) and it was only fitting that his idol was present at the Wankhede Stadium to see it.

“I couldn’t be happier that an Indian broke my record,” Tendulkar wrote on X, formerly Twitter, to congratulate his protege.

GettyImages 1791335233 The star batter is consoled by his wife Anushka Sharma after India’s finals defeat to Australia

“And to do it on the biggest stage – in the World Cup semi-final – and at my home ground is the icing on the cake.”

The pace at which Kohli broke Tendulkar’s record also stands out. He achieved his 50th ODI ton in 279 innings to his predecessor’s 49 in 452 innings.

Kohli seems immune to the pressure that other batters feel while chasing, and 27 of his 50 hundreds have come batting second.

His dominance has invariably drawn comparisons with West Indies great Viv Richards, who himself is an admirer of Kohli’s batting.

“I am a huge fan of Virat ... and he continues to show why he has to go down as one of the all-time greats, right up there with the likes of the great Sachin,” Richards wrote in his column for the International Cricket Council.

“Many people have made comparisons between the two of us over the years, partly because of our shared intensity on the field.

“I love Virat’s enthusiasm... He is always in the game and I like individuals like that.”

Age and fatherhood may have mellowed him, but Kohli can still put on an arresting display when he steps onto the field. Once out in the middle, Kohli hogs the spotlight – even when celebrating a rival’s dismissal in which he has played no role.

Fans love him. And many obey him as well – with a gesture or a stare he can whip up frenzied support from the stands when the team need extra motivation, or stop the crowd from booing a rival, such as Steve Smith, or taunting a fellow India player.

But it is with the bat that he is at his best, and there is hardly a more impressive sight in contemporary cricket than his checked cover drive.

Pakistan bowling great Wasim Akram’s post on X this week best summed up Kohli’s impact on batting. “We live in @imVkohli era. Congratulations emperor,” the bowling great wrote after Kohli’s Mumbai masterclass.

More For You

Jofra Archer

Archer was part of the squad for the second Test at Edgbaston but did not play. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Archer ‘ready to go’ for third India Test, says McCullum

ENGLAND coach Brendon McCullum said pacer Jofra Archer is "ready to go" as he considers bringing him back for the third Test against India, following a four-year absence due to injury.

Archer was part of the squad for the second Test at Edgbaston but did not play. India won that match by 336 runs on Sunday, levelling the five-match series at 1-1.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sanjog Gupta

Gupta previously served as CEO of JioStar Sports, a role he took up following the $8.5 billion merger between Reliance Industries and Walt Disney’s Indian media assets in November last year. (Photo: X/@HomeOfCricket)

X/@HomeOfCricket

Sanjog Gupta appointed ICC CEO, succeeds Geoff Allardice

THE International Cricket Council (ICC) has named Sanjog Gupta as its new chief executive officer, replacing Geoff Allardice. The announcement was made on Monday.

Gupta previously served as CEO of JioStar Sports, a role he took up following the $8.5 billion merger between Reliance Industries and Walt Disney’s Indian media assets in November last year. He becomes the ICC’s seventh CEO.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lando Norris

Norris moves to four wins in 2025

Getty Images

Lando Norris savours special Silverstone win despite injury

Key points

  • Lando Norris wins the British Grand Prix at Silverstone for the first time
  • Celebrations briefly disrupted after he was hit in the nose by trophy
  • McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri penalised, costing him potential victory
  • Norris moves to four wins in 2025, just one behind Piastri
  • Drivers now head into a two-week summer break before Belgian GP

Lando Norris fulfils dream with British GP victory

Lando Norris described winning his home race at Silverstone as a “very, very special” moment, despite picking up a minor injury during the post-race celebrations. The McLaren driver delivered a brilliant performance in constantly changing weather conditions to secure his first British Grand Prix win and fourth of the season.

The race also highlighted the strength of the McLaren team, with both Norris and Oscar Piastri showing exceptional pace. However, a controversial penalty handed to Piastri during a safety car period ended hopes of a 1-2 finish for the team.

Keep ReadingShow less
India vs England

The win was India’s first Test victory in nine matches at Edgbaston, where they had previously suffered seven defeats and a draw.

Getty Images

India level series with big win over England as Akash Deep takes 10 wickets

INDIA defeated England by 336 runs in the second Test at Edgbaston on Sunday, levelling the five-match series 1-1. Akash Deep, playing in place of rested pacer Jasprit Bumrah, took 10 wickets in the match — his first 10-wicket haul in Test cricket.

England were bowled out for 271 while chasing a target of 608. Deep took 6-99 in the second innings, ending with match figures of 10-147 — the best of his eight-Test career so far.

Keep ReadingShow less
Shubman-Gill-Getty

Gill's 430 runs in the match made him only the fifth batter to score over 400 in a single Test. (Photo: Getty Images)

Gill sets Test record as England face massive chase at Edgbaston

INDIA captain Shubman Gill became the first batter in Test history to score 250 and 150 in the same match, before Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep struck early to put India in control of the second Test at Edgbaston on Saturday.

Gill followed his first-innings 267 with 161 off 162 balls in the second innings. India declared at 427-6 after tea on the fourth day, setting England a target of 608 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Keep ReadingShow less