Virat Kohli takes a stand for his players: England legend lauds India captain

India captain Virat Kohli is regarded as one of the best batsmen in the modern era of cricket. Apart from his intensity on the field which showcases his passion for the sport, Virat’s numbers also highlight why he is regarded as one of the best with the bat. The right-handed batsman has scored 43 ODI hundreds and 27 Test tons so far, and cricket pundits, former cricketers and fans often debate whether he could match Sachin Tendulkar’s feat of 100 international centuries.

In 86 Tests, Virat has amassed 7,240 runs at an average of 53.6. In the ODIs, he has scored 11,867 runs at an average of 59.3. In the T20Is, Kohli is currently the leading run-scorer in the world with 2,794 runs in 82 matches.

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Perhaps, this is why, England legend Ian Botham holds the Indian cricketer in high regards. Speaking in an onine chat session with Playwrite Foundation, Botham praised the batsman and said that he would have loved to play against him.

“Virat takes the game to the opposition, he takes a stand for his players. I would have loved to play against him. He is the right guy to take Indian cricket forward,” Botham was quoted as saying by Times of India.

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The former England allrounder also went on to address why there are not too many allrounders present in modern-day cricket. “All-rounders can’t be manufactured, they don’t grow on trees. The workload is double and it obviously takes a toll on your body. Just imagine Kapil… the amount of bowling he did on those Indian pitches, which had very little to offer, that too in the scorching heat of Chennai and Delhi. I can’t see anyone in the present generation being able to do that,” he said.