Virat Kohli is not King of Cricket: Basit Ali makes controversial statement

India’s batting superstar Virat Kohli has on August 18 crossed a monumental milestone—16 years in international cricket, which is not just a testament to his enormous talent but a statement of his dominance in the game of cricket.

Since his debut, Kohli has continued to wow fans and critics. Basit Ali, the former Pakistan cricketer and coach, has expressed his awe at Kohli’s longevity and fitness. He believes that Kohli’s exceptional dedication sets him apart, comparing his commitment to legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Saeed Anwar, Javed Miandad, and Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Virat Kohli will play for 3 more years: Basit Ali

Basit Ali said in a video shared on Hafiz Muhammad Imran's YouTube channel, “It is a great achievement. Not just 16 years; he will play for 3 more years. He will play for 19 years. He is very super fit. And dedication. Look at Virat Kohli. This is called dedication. Sachin, Anwar, Javed, Inzamam, Gavaskar, Mohammad Yousuf, and Younis Khan played for so long because there was dedication.”

The former Pakistan selector mentioned that Kohli's relentless hard work has been crucial to his success, saying: “Today’s kids say Babar Azam hits a cover like this. Virat Kohli hits like this. They have practiced so much before hitting, and that’s why they perfectly play in the match.”

'MS Dhoni's support was key for Kohli'

Furthermore, Basit insisted that it’s all about hard work, and due to this, Kohli ruled the cricket world for the last 16 years ever since bursting into the scenes in Under-19s. He came and made an instant impact and is still ruling the game. He added that Kohli had the support of his senior players like MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, and it helped him a lot.

The former Pakistan Women's head coach also said that Indians support the youngsters a lot, but Pakistanis don't support the youngsters, as they fear losing their place to the youngsters. Meanwhile, Basit also shared his views on whether Kohli deserves the title of "king" of cricket.

Basit acknowledges Virat Kohli’s supreme skill and influence, but he opined that the title of "king" might not sit well with the Indian batting maestro himself. According to Ali, Kohli’s passion for cricket is unparalleled, but he emphasized that cricket itself is the true ruler and king, citing that not even the great Don Bradman or Sachin Tendulkar were hailed as kings.

I think Virat Kohli is not the king: Basit Ali

Basit Ali signed off by saying, “I think even Virat will feel bad. If he is told that you are the king, he will say, Don't call me king. Because there is no one greater than cricket. Cricket is the biggest thing. He will not love this sentence. He will love talking about his runs and batting. I will not say king.

Because even Don Bradman, Gavaskar, and Sachin were not also called kings. So, I think Virat Kohli is not the king. He is a great batsman. At the moment, he is the greatest batter.” Notably, Kohli will be next seen in action in the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh at home. He was part of India’s recent 2-0 ODI series defeat against Sri Lanka.