Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting has praised Virat Kohli for his steady performance and long career in One Day Internationals (ODIs). Speaking on The ICC Review, Ponting—who is also one of the top run-scorers in ODIs—said he believes Kohli can become the highest run-scorer in this format.
Kohli recently scored a brilliant century against Pakistan in Dubai during the ICC Champions Trophy, crossing the 14,000-run mark. With 14,085 runs, he is now only behind Kumar Sangakkara (14,234 runs) and Sachin Tendulkar (18,426 runs) in the all-time ODI charts, and he has already surpassed Ponting, who scored 13,704 runs and ranks fourth.
Ponting said, “He’s been a top player for a very long time, especially in the white-ball game. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better 50-over player than Virat Kohli. Now that he has passed me and only two players are ahead of him, I’m sure he will try his best to be remembered as the all-time highest run-scorer.”
He also believes that Kohli’s fitness and strong desire to win will help him chase Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 18,426 runs—a record many thought would never be broken. Even though Kohli still needs over 4,000 more runs to beat Tendulkar, Ponting remains confident. He added, “It’s amazing to see how good Virat has been over such a long time, even if he is still 4,000 runs behind Sachin. This shows just how great Sachin was and how long he played. But with Virat, you can never count him out. As long as he keeps his hunger and works hard, anything is possible.”
Kohli’s century against Pakistan showed his skill in high-pressure moments. His unbeaten knock not only led India to a six-wicket win but also added another milestone to his already impressive career.
The Indian bowlers, led by Kuldeep Yadav (3/40) and Hardik Pandya (2/31), managed to restrict Pakistan to 241 runs, making the chase easier. Although India lost a few early wickets, Kohli’s steady performance in the middle, along with Shreyas Iyer’s calm 56, helped India win comfortably.
