Having snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Pakistan, Virat Kohli has finally ascended to the pinnacle of the sport after years of disappointment. Following his sensational performance, the Indian batter is being considered the greatest player of all time. Kohli however has his own take on the greatest cricketers. When asked the same question by Star Sports, Kohli without hesitation took two names that he considers the greatest cricketers of all time.
Those two cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar from India and Vivian Richards from West Indies. Sachin is the highest run-getter in Tests and ODIs and has innumerable records to his name, Richards meanwhile has also made a name for himself in the game with his high-quality batting and strong leadership qualities.
“No, I wouldn’t consider myself the GOAT of cricket. For me, only 2 people qualify for it. It’s Sachin Tendulkar and Viv Richards,” Kohli had said in the post-match interview. The chat took place after India’s win against Pakistan in the 20-20 World Cup, in which Kohli played a match-winning knock of 82 off of 53 deliveries.
I have no idea how that happened- Virat Kohli
After the match, Kohli said, “It’s a surreal atmosphere, I have no words, no idea how that happened. I am really lost for words. Hardik believed we can do it if we stayed till the end. When Shaheen bowled from the pavilion end, that’s when we decided to take him down. Haris is their prime bowler, and I hit those two sixes. The calculation was simple. Nawaz had one over to the bowl, so if I could take Haris down, they would panic. From 28 in 8, it came down to 16 to 6. I tried to stick to my instincts.”
“The first one was back of a hand slower ball (the one over long-on). Standing here I just feel like it was meant to be. Till today Mohali was my best innings against Australia. Today I will count this one higher. Hardik kept pushing me. The crowd has been phenomenal. You guys (fans) kept backing me and I am grateful for your support”, he further added.
India will face the Netherlands in their second match of the 20-20 World Cup on Thursday, October 27th.
