Virat Kohli declared greatest ODI batter by former England captains

Virat Kohli has once again proved why he is the best when it comes to chasing targets in ODI cricket, and former England captain Michael Atherton believes that there is no one who has been doing fantastically better than the Indian batting icon.

With 28 centuries in successful ODI chases, Virat Kohli is far ahead of great players like Sachin Tendulkar, who has 17, and Rohit Sharma, who has 16. His 51st ODI century came in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 group match against Pakistan in Dubai, where he remained unbeaten and helped India to win the match by six wickets on Sunday (February 23).

Michael Atherton hails Virat Kohli as the ultimate chase king

During his match-winning knock, the former Indian skipper also became the fastest batter to reach 14,000 ODI runs, beating the records of Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara by a huge margin. And Atherton was just in awe of Kohli’s legacy and dominance in ODI cricket.

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The Englishman believes that Kohli’s ability to handle pressure and guide his team to victory makes him the undisputed king of run chases in the history of ODI cricket. The cricket expert also noted that Kohli’s ODI records show why he is one of the greatest batters the game has ever seen.

ODI is Kohli's absolute best format: Michael Atherton

Michael Atherton on Sky Sports Cricket Podcast: “Virat Kohli in a run chase in 50-over cricket, there’s been nobody better in the history of the game, really. 51 centuries is an unbelievable number. I mean, he’s (Kohli) got 51, and he passed 14,000 runs, which only Tendulkar and Sangakkara have gotten past that mark in one-day cricket.

And he got them in 60-odd innings quicker than Sachin, and I think about 90-odd innings quicker than Kumar. So, I mean, ODI is probably his best. You know, he’s been a great all-format player, clearly, but you’d probably say that ODI is his absolute best format.”

Nasser Hussain ranks Virat Kohli ahead of Sachin Tendulkar, AB de Villiers, and Kumar Sangakkara as the ODI legend

Meanwhile, former England captain Nasser Hussain hailed Virat Kohli as one of the greatest ODI players ever, placing him alongside legends like Sachin Tendulkar, AB de Villiers, and Kumar Sangakkara. However, the Englishman also settled the debate on who is the best ODI batter among these legends by saying Kohli is the greatest ODI batter of all time.

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Nasser Hussain said on the same podcast on Sky Sports: “He’s (Kohli) been an incredible player. Yeah, and you’d have to say probably the best player in ODIs of all time, really, with those stats you mentioned. You’d have Tendulkar in the same conversation. Kumar, you’d have AB de Villiers. They’ve been some great ones, but he’s right at the top of the tree.”

Ricky Ponting calls Virat Kohli the best-ever ODI batter

Earlier, Australian legend Ricky Ponting also called Kohli the best ODI batter he has ever seen in his career and backed the former Indian skipper to break Sachin Tendulkar’s world record of most runs in the 50-over format of the game if he maintains his fitness and hunger for runs.

Virat will be next seen in action in India’s last group match against New Zealand on March 2 in Dubai in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Notably, both India and New Zealand have qualified for the semifinals of the prestigious tournament.