Kapil Dev compares Virat Kohli to all time great Sir Don Bradman
What’s the story?
World Cup winning Captain Kapil Dev made bold statement as he compared current Indian skipper Virat Kohli to the legendary Sir Don Bradman. The Delhi-boy is at the peak of his game and has scored 4 double centuries in the last four Test series’.
As per the reports of India Today, Kapil Dev said, "You can't expect a player to score 10 double centuries in 10 matches but scoring four double tons in 8-10 matches is incredible. I still feel he could have scored a triple century against Bangladesh in Hyderabad because he has it in him to go past that milestone. Hopefully, we will see that against Australia."
Though Kapil Dev did not have the pleasure to watch Bradman play, he feels that Kohli falls in a category similar to the stature of the Australian all-time great.
"We all have heard stories about Don Bradman, the records that he has and how well he used to bat. But when people say that 'Had the Don played in this era, he would have been very much like Virat,' one can very well imagine how great Don would have been," said the 1983 world cup winning captain.
Also Read: ICC Test Rankings: Virat Kohli achieves personal best ratings; Murali Vijay, Wriddhiman Saha rise in batting rankings
In case you didn’t know...
India outplayed Bangladesh in the one-off Test in Hyderabad, defeating them by 208 runs in their first ever 5-day match on Indian soil. India has now won six consecutive Test series under the leadership of Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli is now leading the national team in all the three formats of the game after former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni decided to step down from the helm a few days before the limited overs fixtures against England got underway. The right-handed batsman won his first ODI and T20 series as a captain as he got the better of visitors England in both the formats.
Also Read: Most consecutive Test matches without defeat
The heart of the matter
Sir Don Bradman is arguably the greatest ever to play the game of cricket, having played 52 Tests and scored 6996 runs at an unbelievable average of 99.94. He would have ended his career average with a three-figure mark if he had scored 4 runs in his last innings but failed to get off the mark on the occasion.
The next best average by any batsman in Test cricket is held by Australian Adam Voges at a distant 61.87. Kohli’s success in recent times compels everyone to hail him as one of the greatest batsmen ever.
What’s next?
India begin their four-match Test series against the Aussies on February 23 in Pune, which will be followed by fixtures in Bangalore, Ranchi and Dharamsala.
Sportskeeda’s take
India are having one of the best home seasons in recent years, but it will be a tough task to dominate the Australian team as they did to other nations previously. Moreover, Virat’s aggressive brand of cricket and Australia’s dynamic style of play will make the series a nail-biting affair.