10 Greatest Quotes on Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket team captain, is at the peak of his career right now. Day after day, he puts in a lot of hard work and this is reflected in his game. In the past couple of years, he has broken several records and established himself as the new Prince of Cricket.

At the end of 2017, Kohli finished as the leading run-getter in international cricket across all three formats for the second consecutive year. He also holds the record for scoring most double centuries in test cricket as a captain. In the ODIs, he recently became the fastest player to reach 9000 runs, and soon will reach the landmark of 10000 ODI runs.

There are numerous such records that Kohli has managed to break in his not so long career. One of the best chasers in the world, he has had a great transformation not only in his game but also in his personality. He is considered to be a young legend by many cricketing experts.

Here's a look-in at some of the famous quotes made for the Indian Skipper:

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#10 Kumar Sangakkara

"I don’t think that will last long the way Kohli is batting. He will probably overtake it next year and then do it again the year after. He is a different class." - Kumar Sangakkara

The legendary cricketer, Kumar Sangakkara, replied with this tweet when one of the cricket fans tweeted that Sangakkara still remains the highest individual run scorer with 2868 runs under his belt in a calendar year after Kohli managed to score 2818 runs in 2017.

It was yet another glorious year for Kohli. He played several record-scripting knocks in all formats of the game, although missing out on surpassing Kumar Sangakkara's record of most international runs in a year.

#9 Nasser Hussain

"You cannot go beyond Kohli in a run chase. I would bet my life on Kohli." - Nasser Hussain

Last year, in London, Hussain made this statement on Kohli at the ‘Aaj Tak Salam Cricket 2017’ conclave, a platform where a number of former captains express their views on the forthcoming tournament.

During the event, Hussain also praised English batsman Joe Root, but considered Kohli as the best when it comes to run chases. He has scored 20 centuries in run-chases for India, out of which India has won 17.

#8 Sourav Ganguly

"I have been fortunate enough to play with and against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Ricky Ponting, and Brian Lara, and this man is right up there with all of them. What stands out for me is not just his amazing control and his ability to adjust but also the energy and intensity he brings to his batting in each and every innings" - Sourav Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly wrote these words of praise for Kohli when he reached his 34th ODI ton during the third ODI against South Africa at Cape Town in February 2018. Kohli scored an unbeaten 160 in that match which India won. Ganguly also praised Kohli's energy and intensity that he brings to his batting in each innings.

The Indian captain is now behind only 'Master Blaster' Sachin Tendulkar, who has 49 hundreds in the 50-over format of the game.

#7 Imran Khan

"Cricket has had eras. In the eighties, it was Viv Richards, and then you had Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar who stood out. Virat Kohli is one of the most complete players I’ve seen. He’s so versatile; he plays on both feet, and on all sides of the field" - Imran Khan

Imran Khan made this statement on Kohli in an interview after India won a match against Pakistan in the ICC World T20 tournament. He also said that Kohli is a better batsman than cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar in critical moments.

Kohli has been India’s standout performer since his debut in 2008 and has played several match-winning knocks on numerous occasions.

#6 Michael Vaughan

"Best Test player ... KOHLI. Best ODI player ... KOHLI. Best T20 player ... KOHLI." - Michael Vaughan

In January 2017, when India chased down a mammoth target of 351 in an ODI against England, Vaughan put in these words of praise for Kohli.

He had scored an outstanding 122 off 105 balls in that match. The former English captain, Vaughan, also tweeted that Kohli is from another planet.

Kohli is the number one batsman in ODIs, and number two in the Tests, next to Steve Smith.

#5 Gary Kirsten

"Virat is a rare talent. I was fortunate to be a part of that process of seeing him grow and that gives me immense pleasure." - Gary Kirsten

Gary Kirsten was the coach of India's World Cup winning team in 2011. Kohli was playing his first World Cup that year. A couple of years later, when Gary was asked about his views on Kohli, he applauded the emerging cricketer with the above words.

The former South African batsman also said that he always had the belief that the immensely talented Virat Kohli would grow into a "great cricketer".

#4 Viv Richards

"I love watching Virat Kohli bat. He looks to me like an individual of my own heart. I love his aggression and serious passion that I used to have. He reminds me of myself." - Viv Richards

Virat Kohli received this compliment from the great West Indian batting legend, Sir Viv Richards, after his great performance in a Test series against Australia in 2013, where India defeated the Aussies 4-0.

Sir Richards added that Kohli is amongst those players who can stand his ground under pressure. He also compared Kohli's fielding abilities to his own.

#3 Sunil Gavaskar

"Virat's consistency with the bat is beyond phenomenal. Key to his consistency is that he learns from his mistakes and to then avoid those. That is what Virat keeps on doing." - Sunil Gavaskar

The little master Sunil Gavaskar said this after Kohli became the fastest player to reach the 9000 run landmark in ODIs. He achieved this feat against New Zealand in the year 2017. He also heaped praise on Kohli and termed the skipper's consistency as 'phenomenal'.

Kohli had struck his 32nd ODI century in the series decider against New Zealand at Kanpur that year. India won that series 3-2.

#2 AB de Villiers

"He is a consummate surgeon at the crease, intensely focussed, working hard, playing the ball into gaps in the field and staying calm under pressure. He is always judging the right time to consolidate and the right time to seize a game by the scruff of the neck." - AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers offered this insight about Kohli ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy final last year. The South African batsman also said that Kohli is someone who is fun to be with off the field.

AB and Virat are a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the IPL and have scored more than 7,000 runs while playing together.

#1 Harsha Bhogle

"I think Virat has a GPS fitted in his mind. He can pick the gaps so easily." - Harsha Bhogle

When Virat Kohli was batting against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup T20 final in 2016 and when he was middling every single ball and finding the gaps, Harsha made this hilarious, yet wonderful comment on Kohli.

Virat has dominated every format of the sport. In T20Is, he has an average of above 50. He had also smacked four tons in a single edition of the Indian Premier League in 2016, becoming the first batsman to do so.