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Sunil Gavaskar hails Virat Kohli as the best ODI cricketer after his 52nd hundred, going past Sachin Tendulkar, with praise from Ricky Ponting.
Virat Kohli scored his 52nd ODI hundred (Picture credit: AP)
Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has said that anyone who has played with Virat Kohli will agree that he’s the best ever to play in ODIs, adding that when one goes past batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, he’s alleged to be the best of all time.
Through the mid-innings show of the primary ODI against South Africa, Gavaskar ended the talk over who stands alone in one-day cricket.
Kohli‘s commanding innings got here off 120 deliveries with seven sixes and 11 boundaries. His 136-run partnership with Rohit Sharma (57 off 51) for the second wicket arrange India’s big total on a flat JSCA Stadium pitch.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. I mean, it isn’t just me, I believe those that have played with him and against him all agree that he’s the best within the one-day format,” Gavaskar said while talking to the host broadcasters.
“Look, you rating 52 lots of, that really sets you up right up there within the stratosphere, so to talk,” Gavaskar added.
The previous India batter highlighted three pillars of Kohli’s claim to greatness: the respect he commands from peers, his staggering run tally and the load of 52 lots of in a format squeezed between T20Is and Tests.
“I just heard that Ricky Ponting said that he’s the very best that he has seen in one-day cricket. So, I mean, when someone, an Australian captain…they are going to agree that it’s rare, very rare to get praise from an Australian,” Gavaskar said.
“Very, very difficult. So, if an Australian says that, , he was the very best, then I don’t think there’s any argument for that,” Gavaskar added.
For the previous Indian cricketer, Ponting’s reported verdict settles whatever resistance stays within the GOAT debate. If a World Cup-winning Aussie skipper calls Kohli the very best he has ever seen, the standard claims of national bias don’t hold.
“Sachin has been absolutely right up there with 51 A whole lot. But while you pass the good Sachin Tendulkar, then where you stand,” Gavaskar said.
The ultimate line captured the essence of the night in Ranchi: Kohli’s 135 off 120 was not only match-defining, it was, in Gavaskar’s view, a legacy-defining 52nd ODI century.
November 30, 2025, 19:42 IST
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