Star India batter Virat Kohli recently revealed his picks to build his ‘ideal ODI batter’, combining some of the best shots and skills from legendary batters. The India star made the revelation while speaking to host broadcaster Star Sports.
Kohli was in excellent form in the first ODI against West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, September 27. The right-hander smashed an unbeaten 139 off 88 balls as India chased down 296 with eight wickets in hand. He also stitched together a match-winning partnership with captain Shubman Gill, helping India take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
The knock also saw Kohli register his 55th ODI century, extending his record for the most hundreds in the format. It was also his 86th international century.
Kohli picks Sachin, Sangakkara and Gayle for his ideal batter
During the interaction with Star Sports, Kohli was asked to create his ideal ODI batter by selecting different players for specific shots and skills.
The former India captain picked Sachin Tendulkar for the straight drive, Kumar Sangakkara for the cover drive and Rahul Dravid for the flick. He chose Virender Sehwag for the cut shot and Matthew Hayden for the sweep.
For six-hitting, Kohli went with West Indies legend Chris Gayle, while AB de Villiers was his choice for running between the wickets.
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Kohli’s list did not feature former India captains MS Dhoni or Rohit Sharma, despite having shared the dressing room with both players for several years and being involved in numerous memorable partnerships with them.
Kohli surpasses 15,000 ODI runs
Kohli’s century against West Indies was also significant for another reason as he became only the second batter after Tendulkar to cross 15,000 runs in ODI cricket.
He also became the fastest batter to reach the landmark, surpassing Tendulkar’s previous record. During his unbeaten 139, Kohli also moved past Tendulkar’s tally for the most ODI runs on Indian soil. Tendulkar had scored 6,976 runs in 164 ODIs in India, while Kohli needed 110 runs before the match to go past him.
Despite reaching another major milestone, Kohli has repeatedly maintained that he does not view himself through the lens of achievements and records. He also spoke about the special place Tendulkar and Dhoni hold in his career.
“For me, Sachin paaji is always going to be Sachin paaji. MS Dhoni is always going to be MS Dhoni in terms of being my first captain. These things cannot change inside me. I have never looked at myself as a guy who has established and achieved. You never really get to a position where you say that’s it. I’ve done it,” Kohli said on Star Sports.
