IND vs ZIM: "He Would Have Been Equally Successful Against The West Indies Team Of The 70s And 80s...." - Former Australian Captain Kim Hughes Heaps Praise On Virat Kohli
Published - 06 Nov 2022, 03:23 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:14 AM
Sachin Tendulkar is an irreplaceable legend in modern cricket. Virat Kohli is one step ahead of Sachin when it comes to chasing runs. Former Indian captain Virat Kohli is currently the greatest batsman in the world. In the last decade, he has scored runs against every single bowler in the world.
But what always comes up for discussion when compared to Sachin is the difference in the pace bowlers of the two eras.
Former Australian Kim Hughes believes that with his technique and stance, Kohli would have been successful even against fast bowlers of the 70s and 80s like Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding.
Virat Kohli Isn’t In Class Of Viv, But In The Top Echelon – Kim Hughes
“Kohli would have been equally successful against the West Indies team of the 70s and 80s. Maybe, he is not in the class of Viv, but suddenly in the top echelon.”
“Viv was above everybody else, but Virat is certainly in the league of Greg Chappell, Allan Border and Javed Miandad, the best in my era. Only great players in my era averaged 50, and there were only half a dozen at max,” he said.
Former Australian captain Kim Hughes, who played 70 Tests in the seventies and eighties, was considered a stylish batsman of his time but did not play later due to poor form. He scored more than 4000 test runs with an average of 37, including nine centuries, and 22 half-centuries.
Viv Could Hit Pacer For Six Over Extra Cover Consistently – Kim Hughes
He gave a technical example. He said, “In the late 70s and mid-80s, only batter who could hit a pacer for six over extra cover consistently was Viv. And now even my nine-year-old grandson could hit a six.
“No team now has four great fast bowlers like the West Indies of yore had and in our era, only Viv, Greg (Chappell), AB (Border) and Javed Miandad were four great players. They averaged 50 plus.”
Virat Kohli has been in excellent form in the ongoing World Cup. He is the highest run-scorer in the multinational tournament with 220 runs, scoring three half-centuries in four matches.
The Indian batter surpassed Sri Lanka legend Mahela Jayawardene for the most runs in tournament history. Kohli currently has 1065 runs in 23 innings in the T20 World Cup, with an incredible average of 88.75 and a strike rate of 132.46.
