Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes Virat Kohli is in a prime position to cement his legacy as the highest run-scorer in ODI history.
Kohli’s unbeaten century against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday propelled him to No. 5 in the ICC ODI rankings and made him only the third player to surpass 14,000 runs in 50-over cricket. Having overtaken Ponting on the all-time run charts, Kohli now trails Kumar Sangakkara by just 149 runs and is 4,341 runs behind the record-holder Sachin Tendulkar.
“With someone like Virat, you never write him off, because I’m sure he’d be motivated by that [achieving the record], I think,” Ponting said on the ICC Review Podcast, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
“Now that he’s gone past me and only two ahead of him, I’m sure he wants to give himself the best chance to be remembered as the all-time leading run scorer in the game,” he added.
Ponting highlighted Kohli’s relentless hunger for success and exceptional fitness.
“So, as long as the hunger’s there… he’s probably as fit as he’s ever been and works exceptionally hard. I’m never going to write him off,” Ponting stated.
“I know he’s nice and close to Sangakkara now. I don’t think it’s going to be long, maybe the next game before he goes past Sangakkara. But still, a little way to go to catch Sachin.”
Hailing Kohli as the best ODI batsman he has ever seen, Ponting reflected on the vast gap between Kohli and Tendulkar’s records.
“It’s crazy when you think about it… Just how good Virat’s been over such a long period, yet he’s still 4,000 runs behind Sachin. It shows how good Sachin was and how long he maintained excellence,” Ponting noted.
Kohli’s recent form has been under scrutiny. He averaged 23.75 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia and managed modest scores in the ODIs against England (5 and 52) and India’s Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh (22). However, Ponting wasn’t surprised by Kohli’s resurgence against Pakistan.
“Look, I’ve always said big games equal big names. No bigger game for India than against Pakistan. So, it’s no surprise to me that that has happened,” he said.
“Your reputation is forged in the biggest contests on the international stage… and once again, it was Kohli to get the job done,” Ponting concluded.
With Kohli edging closer to surpassing Sangakkara, the cricketing world watches eagerly as he chases Sachin Tendulkar’s legendary record.