Virat Kohli is the best batter today – South African legend, Dr. Ali Bacher

Dr. Ali Bacher, a name that is synonymous with the survival of South African cricket, back in the days when the nation was barred from playing international cricket, came undone in an exclusive interview with the Hindustan Times, heaping praises on Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli as the true greats of Indian cricket.

Not only did Bacher heap praise on the two icons of the sport, he also claimed that this is the best Indian side that he has ever seen and he had ample reasons to believe so. From pointing out the key factors that makes this Indian side a force to reckon with, he underlined what makes the Indian batting unit the finest.

Talking about Sach, Bacher said, “One is Sachin, we still communicate. I mean, he is a freak, he’s from a different planet. I've seen so many of his great innings but for me, it's all about how he is as a person. Jeez, has he ever had an argument? I don’t think so. He's just this greatness, this happiness, personified. You know, the Australians believe Brian Lara was better than him, I say rubbish. I say Brian Lara played before four million people. Man, this bloke had 1.4 billion people. Can you imagine the pressure of this bloke? Don't tell me that.”

He then shifted his focus to the current Indian side, stating, “This is the best Indian team I've seen. In Test cricket. Before, you used to have one or two good fast bowlers and that was it -- Kapil Dev and maybe (Javagal) Srinath. Now you’ve got premier fast bowlers and historically, when you got good fast bowlers, you dominate. You’ve got a dashing opening batsman as the captain. From day one, he is after you. And you’ve got (Virat) Kohli, the best batsman today. Kohli has made this team because I always felt that with India, there was no rubbish said on the field. They behaved themselves. Good boys. Not Kohli. You can see him a mile off and he reminds me of an Australian. He’s injected that fighting spirit. I'm a big admirer of his, he is the best batsman in the world today.”

Team India will be hitting the yard again on 3rd January as they fight for pride, trying to save the blushes of a clean sweep with an equalizer in sight. Virat Kohli will obviously be the key contender of India’s leading batter after a phenomenal showdown in the curtain-raiser on a track that spat venom in the face of the hapless batters.