Published 13:33 IST, December 16th 2019
Virat Kohli is the Cristiano Ronaldo of cricket, says West Indies legend Brian Lara
Virat Kohli is arguably the best batsman of the modern era. West Indies great Brian Lara heaped a lot of praise on the Indian captain. Read to know what he said
West Indies legendary batsman Brian Lara has called Virat Kohli the cricketing equivalent of football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for his absolute commitment towards the sport. Lara also spoke highly of India opener KL Rahul saying that he can consider himself at par with the India captain in terms of talent.
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Lara, who is one of the best cricketers to have ever played the game, said that he was in awe of how Kohli had honed his skills to take his batting to an unbelievable level.
In an interview with PTI, the former West Indies captain said that his unbelievable game had a lot to do with his outstanding commitment besides his preparation. He added that he wasn't any more talented than a KL Rahul or a Rohit Sharma but his commitment to preparing himself is what separated him from the rest.
Virat Kohli is the cricketing equivalent of Cristiano Ronaldo: Brian Lara
Lara went on to say that for him he was the cricketing equivalent of Cristiano Ronaldo and lauded his fitness level and his unbelievable mental strength. He added that Kohli could fit into the best teams of any era, be it Clive Lloyd's 'Unbeatables' of the '70s or Sir Don Bradman's 'Invincibles' of 1948.
Lara heaped praise over Kohli's batting skills calling them 'unbelievable.' The West Indies great added that the Indian captain was a guy one cannot leave out in any era. Lara concluded saying that if a guy averaged 50 plus in all versions of the game, then that was something which was unheard of.
Kohli scored 183 runs at an average of 183 in the recently concluded T20I series against West Indies. He got out for a paltry four runs in the first ODI but he still is the leading run-scorer in 2019. So far, the Indian skipper has accumulated 2,370 runs and is likely to end as the year's top-scorer in international cricket for the fourth consecutive time.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo scored a brace against Udinese in Serie A as Juventus won the game with a 3-1 scoreline. The win means that Juventus and Inter Milan are now tied at 39 points. However, Inter Milan occupies the first spot in the league due to goal difference. Ronaldo hasn't been at his usual best this season but the brace would instil much-needed confidence in the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Updated 14:45 IST, December 16th 2019