Virat Kohli is the perfect ODI player says Adam GilchristÂ
What's the story?
Legendary Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist believes that Indian captain Virat Kohli is the perfect ODI player at the moment, labeling him as "unstoppable". He also added that while AB de Villiers is a great T20 player, he picked West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard as the best T20 player.
Speaking to India Today, Gilchrist said: "I think Virat Kohli (perfect ODI player) at the moment. He is unstoppable.
"AB de Villiers comes to mind (for perfect T20 player) but I suppose you have to think more all-round so, a guy like Kieron Pollard is pretty really handy."
In case you didn't know...
Virat Kohli has been on a record-breaking spree in ODIs this year. Not only is the leading run-getter in the format in the calendar year but he has also broken the world of being the fastest to 8,000 and 9,000 runs in the same year. He is also one of only eight batsman to have over 7,000 runs in T20s, a list which includes Kieron Pollard.
The heart of the matter
Although he only recently played his 200th ODI, Kohli is already second on the list of most ODI centuries behind only Sachin Tendulkar. Kieron Pollard is not only one of the finest T20 all-rounders in the world but also boasts of an impressive record that would put a few batsmen or bowlers to shame.
The West Indian all-rounder is the only player to have scored over 7,000 T20 runs and picked up over 200 wickets as well. Overall, Pollard is the third-highest run-scorer in T20s, with only Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum having scored more, and also has nearly 250 wickets to his name in the format.
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Author's take
Given the amount of world records that Virat Kohli is breaking on a consistent basis, there is little doubt about his credibility of being not just the best ODI player at the moment, but also perhaps one of the best to have ever played the format. So Gilchrist's choice certainly makes a lot of sense.
While not going for AB de Villiers or Chris Gayle, who holds most records in the format might be a bit surprising, Kieron Pollard is also a brilliant pick. While he might fly under the radar, when it comes to T20s, he is an league of his own and his records certainly reflect that.