Shastri: Kohli the best in the world

India coach, Ravi Shastri, says that Virat Kohli is the best batsman in the world right now.

The India captain was phenomenal throughout the series. Besides helping his side to their first ever bilateral series win in South Africa, Kohli was also exquisite with the bat.

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Kohli racked up 558 runs, the most by any batsman in a bilateral series and the seventh most if you include tri-series’ and ICC tournaments.

His 129 off 96 balls (19×4, 2×6) at Centurion on Friday was his 35th ODI century, and he also went past the 9 500-run mark and climbed to fifth on India’s all-time scorers list.

He is the second highest century-getter for his country, behind Sachin Tendulkar with 49.

The 29-year-old is ranked No 1 in ODIs, No 2 in Tests and No 3 in T20s. He averages match his ranking – 58.10 in ODIs, 53.40 in Tests and 52.86 in T20s.

For Shastri, Kohli is the world’s best batsman.

‘I’ve seen him batting across all conditions in all formats. It’s not just [about] averages, it’s the way you get runs, when you get it and the impact those runs have on what the team does. I would safely say he’s the best batsman in the world now,’ Shastri said.

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Kohli remained humble when asked to self-evaluate his quality.

‘I don’t feel like competing with anyone. It’s all about how I prepare, what my work ethic is like and how I’m feeling on game-day,’ said Kohli.

‘My only motivation is getting into that frame of mind. I only look to help my team in any way I can. If during the course of that you’re thinking about the team, special things happen.

‘But if you’re thinking about being ahead of someone else, you’ll be found out very soon in this game, and then you’re compromising on what the team needs.

‘I don’t want any tags, any headlines, I just go out there do my job. I don’t want to be called anything – it’s my job, I’m supposed to do what I’m doing.’

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