Virat Kohli is one of the most consistent cricketers in India cricket, and former greats around the world have been applauding the player for his incredible batting skills, where he has been scoring runs for fun. The right-hander was hailed as a "genius" by ex-cricketer Brendon McCullum, who considers him to be one of the top three batsmen in the world today.
The Delhi batsman scored a wonderful ton in the third ODI against New Zealand, which was his 26th ton. Kohli has been brilliant in all formats of the game, including T20, ODI and Test cricket. It is his consistency in all formats and all conditions, which has helped him garner huge praise from several quarters.
Kohli averages 45.56 (Tests), 52.85 (ODIs) and 57.13 (T20s), which reflects his consistency, and he is just 27-years-old. The Test captain has a long future ahead of him, and one might witness the batsman breaking a number of batting records if he goes at the same rate.
"He is definitely among the current top three (batsmen). I think he has been for a number of years now. With what he does in Tests and one-day cricket, he also had a fantastic IPL this year as well. His ability to be consistent in what is quite an inconsistent game is a mark of how a world-class player he is. And he is just 27," the Press Trust of India quoted McCullum as saying.
"I think we should just enjoy the fact that we have got one of the geniuses at work over the next few years. He's certainly a genius," said McCullum.
With brilliant performances against all opposition, and playing match-winning knocks, Kohli has already drawn comparison with India legend Sachin Tendulkar. It might not be too fair to compare the two batsmen when they have played in different eras. To be fair, the present crop of bowlers are way inferior to that of Tendulkar's days that included Allan Donald, Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and Brett Lee among others.
McCullum does not want to compare the two players.
"I think comparisons are so difficult in this game. There are different conditions, different eras, different circumstances but we should not fail in recognising that we have got an incredibly good player who is operating on the world stage at the moment," McCullum said.
