Ricky Ponting Ends Virat Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar Debate In ODI Cricket With Unfiltered Verdict

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting said he has not seen a "better player" than Virat Kohli in ODIs, and backed the Indian batting star to go past legendary Sachin Tendulkar as the highest run-getter in the 50-over format. Kohli made an exceptional unbeaten 100, his 51st in ODIs, to guide India to a six-wicket win over Pakistan in a Champions Trophy match here on Sunday. "I don't think I've ever seen a better 50-over player than Virat Kohli. Now that he's gone past me (in run-maker's list) and only two (batters) ahead of him, I'm sure he would want to give himself the best chance to be remembered as the all-time leading run scorer in the game,” Ponting told ICC Review.

During the course of that hundred, Kohli went past the 14000-run mark in one-dayers, joining former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara and Tendulkar in a rare club.

Kohli (14085 runs) is still 4,341 runs behind Tendulkar (18426) and at 36, the champion batter has limited time in his hand to overhaul the latter's mark.

But Ponting did not see it as an impossible task for Kohli.

"Obviously physical-wise, he's probably as fit as he's ever been and works exceptionally hard on that side of his game. It's crazy when you think about it, isn't it? Just how good Virat's been over such a long period of time, yet he's still 4,000 runs behind Sachin.

"It just goes to show how good Sachin was, but also his longevity in the game. But with someone like Virat, you never write him off. If the hunger's still there, then I'm never going to write him off (to overtake Tendulkar),” he added.

Ponting said a match against Pakistan often brought the best in Kohli, and termed him as a big match player.

"Yeah, 2022 (T20 WC) and now, he stood up against the team that he would