Sangakkara: Virat Kohli is Head and Shoulders Above anyone else Today

Virat Kohli has wrote his name with his hard work into the elite group of the current batsman that features Kane Williamson, Steve Smith and Joe Roots. He is currently top ranked ODI and Test batsman. By becoming the first cricketer to win the Best Batman Award by ICC (International Cricket Council) in Test and ODI he have started new highs in 2019.

India captain Virat Kohli is well ahead of his contemporaries and destined for greatness, former Sri Lankan batting stalwart Kumar Sangakkara has said. Considered part of the elite group also featuring Kiwi Kane Williamson, Australian Steve Smith and England’s Joe Root, Kohli has surged ahead after a stupendous 2018 and is currently the top ranked Test as well as one-day batsman.

“Everything about Virat’s game stands out. I think he is head and shoulders above anyone else in world cricket today,” Sangakkara told India Today news channel. “And I think going forward, he will be one of the greatest ever cricketers, if not the greatest ever,” said the Sri Lankan batting great.

With 39 centuries from 222 one-day matches, Kohli is second only to compatriot Sachin Tendulkar – who scored 49 from 463 – in the 50-over century makers’ list. He has also scored 25 hundreds in 77 Tests. Sangakkara is amazed by Kohli’s ability to success across formats without tinkering his basis game.

"He is a very passionate guy, you see that in his expressions on the field... it's the overall aspect of both the person and how he has sorted his batting and his attitude." Sangakkara's former team mate Mahela Jayawardene lauded how Kohli handled the pressure of leading the team of a cricket-mad nation of 1.3 billion.

"It's not just about the ability Virat has but to understand the way to handle pressure not just on the field but also off the field and the expectations," said the former Sri Lanka captain. "We grew up with Sachin who had to perhaps experience the same thing. And for the next generation, it's probably on Virat's shoulders..." Jayawardene said.