“He’s no less than any Ronaldo” – Salman Butt hails Virat Kohli’s fitness after 46th ODI ton

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has praised Virat Kohli after his 46th ODI century, which came against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday (January 15). The veteran credited Kohli for his fitness and compared him with football icon Cristiano Ronaldo.

The statement came after Kohli scored an unbeaten 166 off 110 at a strike rate of 150+, including eight sixes and 13 boundaries. The 34-year-old scored 66 runs while running between the wickets. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Butt said:

“He’s no less than any Ronaldo. Among all the top fitness freaks sportsmen around the world, he stands right up there.”

For his scintillating unbeaten century, @imVkohli gets the Player of the Match award as #TeamIndia win by 317 runs 👏👏

Scorecard ▶️ bit.ly/INDvSL-2023-3R…

#INDvSL | @mastercardindia https://t.co/uAOwcglERK

Kohli was also adjudged Player of the Match and Series following his explosive performances against The Lions, including 113 off 87 in the first ODI in Guwahati. The Delhi batter has now scored three centuries in the last four ODIs. Kohli is only behind legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar (49) for most ODI tons.

“Virat Kohli is back to his normal” – Salman Butt

Butt said that Virat Kohli is back to normal, as he often scores big and centuries consistently. The former cricketer credited Kohli for taking his time at the crease before coming out all guns blazing against the bowlers.

2️⃣8️⃣3️⃣ runs in three matches with a top-score of 1️⃣6️⃣6️⃣* 👌👌

Congratulations to @imVkohli on winning the Player of the Series award 👏👏

Scorecard ▶️ bit.ly/INDvSL-2023-3R…

#INDvSL | @mastercardindia https://t.co/WIlPU9sJYp

Butt praised the Delhi batter's technique for building an ODI innings, saying:

“I think Virat Kohli is back to his best, maybe back to his normal. He used to score plenty of runs and hundreds consistently. This is the absolute way of playing ODI. You make a steady start, play ball-by-ball, put away bad balls and score run on good deliveries.”

Butt continued:

“Once fully set, he was consistently able to hit it over the boundary easily. There was a low-risk factor. This shows how much control he has over the game when he is on the song.”

Virat Kohli will next be in action in the first of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand in Hyderabad on Wednesday (January 18).