Sandeep Patil feels Rohit is better than Kohli in limited-overs
26 Dec 2017 4:17 PM GMT
When one speaks about Virat Kohli's standing in world cricket, the conversation usually involves Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Smith too.
Will Kohli be able to break Tendulkar's staggering batting records? Who among Kohli and Smith is the best batsman of the current generation? These are questions that are often raised when one discusses Kohli.
Sandeep Patil, however, has given a new spin to the entire debate. According to the former Indian cricketer and national selector, Rohit Sharma is the best ODI batsman in the world at the moment.
"Virat Kohli fans might not like it but I have to say Rohit Sharma is currently the better batsman," Patil was quoted as saying by ABP News.
While Australian captain Smith is widely recognised as the No.1 Test batter - considering the monumental amount of runs he scores - Kohli is considered the undisputed king of limited-overs cricket. After all, the talismanic Indian captain, at the age of 29, is already the second highest century-maker (32) in ODI cricket, behind Tendulkar.
Patil, though, begs to differ: "Virat is definitely a great batsman, no doubt about it. He is India's best Test batsman but when it comes to limited overs cricket, Rohit is ahead of him."
Rohit, standing in as Team India skipper in the just-concluded ODI and T20 series against Sri Lanka, has been in sensational form of late. The 'Hitman' notched up his third ODI double-hundred and also smashed a T20 century Lanka's tour of India. Rohit has managed to score more runs than Kohli in 2017. While the Mumbaikar has amassed 1460 runs in 26 ODIs at an average of 76.8, the Delhi lad has scored 1293 runs in 21 matches at 71.8.
"I'm sure Virat is going to comeback from the break and score lots of runs in South Africa, but when we talk about limited-overs cricket this year, Rohit has been unbelievable," said Patil, referring to the recent break Kohli took from international cricket to get married with Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma.
"People may say he has played more matches against Sri Lanka but so has Virat. Whether he is playing only as a batsman or as captain, Rohit has proved he is best at the moment."
Next Story
