Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has said he hasn't seen anyone as good as Virat Kohli when it comes to dominating the game since the time he started playing international cricket.
The 29-year-old opener added he is awestruck by Kohli's eagerness to score big everytime he walks out to bat — a trait which, at times, makes him believe the India captain is "not human".
Iqbal's comments come after Kohli showcased a batting masterclass in the recently-concluded first ODI of the five-match series against the West Indies in Guwahati. The 29-year-old scored 140 runs off just 107 balls as he took the Caribbean attack to the cleaners during India's successful chase of 323.
Kohli came up with an effortless approach and took upon the aggressor's role in his 246-run stand for the second wicket with vice-captain Rohit Sharma as the two went on to put on a show for the packed crowd at Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The skipper hit 21 boundaries and two sixes as some of them left fans, former players and experts awestruck.
"...I have seen all the great players that have played the game in the past 12 years. They have their own strong points. But I haven't seen anyone that has dominated as much as Virat has," Iqbal was quoted as saying by The Khaleej Times.
"I sometimes feel he is not human because of the way he performs, my goodness, the moment he comes out to bat, it looks like he is going to score a hundred every game, every game.
"The way he looks after himself, the way he works on his game, it's unbelievable. He is probably the number one in all three formats. He is someone to watch and admire and also learn from. I think he has been fantastic."
Considered one of the fittest athletes going around, Kohli has been breaking records at an unprecedented feat and is just 81 runs away from becoming the fastest batsman to reach 10,000 runs in ODI cricket.
While Tendulkar needed 259 innings to get to the landmark, the Delhi batsman has played only 204 innings so far.
It might not be surprising if Kohli reaches the milestone in the 2nd ODI on Wednesday, considering his stunning average (99.75) at Visakhapatnam.
Kohli emulated Tendulkar by becoming the second Indian to score 2,000 runs in a calendar year for the third time on the trot.
He has already surpassed Tendulkar when it came to becoming the fastest player to score 60 international centuries. Kohli, who has 60 tons now, is just 39 short of his icon and batting legend.
Unlike quite a few in the past, Kohli also seems to love the burden of captaincy as he has already amassed 14 ODI tons while captaining the Men in Blue. He is just eight short of Australia great Ricky Ponting, who had 22 centuries as captain.
