T20 WC: Gambhir explains what makes Virat Kohli a better player than Babar Azam or Smith

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir started trending on Twitter on Wednesday after Indian cricket sensation Virat Kohli hit his third half-century at the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022. As India locked horns against Bangladesh in match no. 35 of the tournament, Kohli continued to dominate the opposition bowlers with his superior batting and remained unbeaten on 64 runs. Praising Kohli for the knock, while speaking on the live broadcast, Gambhir explained how Kohli is both an anchor and aggressor for the Indian lineup.

The former India cricketer also compared Kohli with players like Babar Azam, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson. The video of Gambhir’s high praise for Kohli went viral on social media on time, as Gambhir started to trend. “In this batting lineup, Kohli has the role of an aggressor in the final ten overs, alongside being an anchor in the starting,” Gambhir said in the video.

Watch: Gautam Gambhir explains how Virat Kohli is better than other top batters

“When you see Babar Azam, it is not necessary that you can call them (other players) an anchor. Virat Kohli is much more than just an anchor. When the conditions are tough in the first 10 overs of the match and India loses wickets like today, Kohli built a partnership by playing second fiddle to KL Rahul. When Rahul was dismissed, he partnered with Suryakumar Yadav and became the main hero after Suryakumar’s dismissal,” Gambhir told on Star Sports.

“This is something you can only do when you have the ability. Very less players possess this ability to be both an anchor and an aggressor. Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, and Babar Azam don’t have this but Virat Kohli has,” Gambhir added.

India defeat Bangladesh by 5 runs in T20 World Cup 2022

Batting first, India suffered the loss of the first wicket in the third over, which brought Kohli out to the middle. Batting for the 2nd wicket, Kohli and Rahul added 67 runs off 37 balls to India’s total as the latter went back to the pavilion on the individual score of 50 runs off 30 balls. On the other hand, Kohli continued to bat from one end and partnered with Suryakumar Yadav to stitch a 38-run stand, off 25 balls. 

While Suryakumar scored a quickfire 30 off 16 before his dismissal, Kohli remained unbeaten on 64 off 44. This was the third time in the current edition of the T20 World Cup that Kohli remained unbeaten after hitting a fifty. Meanwhile, India went on to win the match by five runs (D/L method), after Bangladesh failed to chase the revised target of 151 runs.