“Certainly got to be Kohli” – Sunil Gavaskar picks Virat Kohli as the most impactful Indian player of the decade

“Certainly got to be Kohli” – Sunil Gavaskar picks Virat Kohli as the most impactful Indian player of the decade

Team India skipper Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is considered far and wide to be one of the greatest cricketers of all time and the best batsman among the current lot of cricketers. The Indian skipper has an average in excess of 50 in all three formats of the game and if that isn’t evidence of his greatness, his 70 international hundreds are further testament. During the recently concluded ODI series against Australia, the No. 3 batsman also broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record to become the fastest player to reach 12,000 ODI runs.

Recently the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced nominees for the player of the decade. The list which includes MS Dhoni, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, Joe Root, AB de Villiers and Kumar Sangakkara apart from Kohli has led to several discussions among cricketers, fans and experts as to who should win the award.

‘Kohli has had the most impact’ – Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar

Speaking on the Star Sports show Cricket Connected, former Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar gave his view on who he thinks is the most impactful ODI player for India was in the decade. “I think if you look as an individual then certainly it’s got to be Virat Kohli, because if you look at the number of matches he’s won for India when India has been chasing big scores,” Gavaskar said.

“I look at the impact a player has had, and not just the runs or wickets that he has taken, and in that aspect you have got to say that in this decade it really has been Virat Kohli who has had the most impact on the matches that India has won,” he added.

Kohli will next be seen in action in the first Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval after which he will leave for India for the birth of his first child.

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