Why Virat Kohli is like Viv Richards, explains Sunil Gavaskar

Virat Kohli continues to be the focal point of any comparative analysis on modern-day batsmen. From being compared with his peers to one of the greatest to have played the game, Sachin Tendulkar, Kohli’s game is often studied, scrutinized, and judged on various parameters by the experts before they pass their verdict.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has joined the discussion to reveal what he thinks about the Indian skipper. According to Gavaskar, Indian captain’s style matches with that of former Windies great Viv Richards.

“It was very difficult to keep Viv Richards quiet when he was at the crease. Similarly, if you look at Virat Kohli’s batting today, in the same ball and same line, he will use his top hand and score a boundary towards the extra cover region and will use the bottom hand and score a boundary towards the mid-on and mid-wicket region,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports’ show ‘Winning the Cup - 1983’.

“That’s why Virat Kohli is considered as the No. 1 player because he bats exactly like Viv Richards. Earlier, Gundappa Vishwanath, VVS Laxman used to bat like this,” he added.

Gavaskar is not the first one to compare Kohli with the Windies great. Last month during a chat show, former Australia captain Ian Chappell had made similar comments. “He (Kohli) said he didn’t want those to creep in his batting in the longer form of the game. The best short-form player in the time I played was Viv Richards, and he just played normal cricket shots but he placed the ball so well he was able to score at a very fast rate. And Kohli’s the same. He plays traditional cricket shots, and he plays them really well,” Chappell had said on the RK Show.