{"id":291719,"date":"2025-11-30T16:56:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T16:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/291719\/"},"modified":"2025-11-30T16:56:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T16:56:09","slug":"virat-kohli-or-sachin-tendulkar-sunil-gavaskar-picks-his-greatest-odi-batter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/291719\/","title":{"rendered":"Virat Kohli or Sachin Tendulkar: Sunil Gavaskar picks his greatest ODI batter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sunil Gavaskar has never been one to hand out praise lightly, especially when it comes to judging the greats of the game. But Virat Kohli\u2019s 52nd ODI hundred in Ranchi has left even the former India captain speaking in rare, emphatic tones about where the 35-year-old stands in cricket\u2019s all-time conversation. For Gavaskar, the answer is clear: Kohli has reached a level in one-day cricket that only a handful have ever approached\u2014and perhaps none have surpassed.<\/p>\n

IND vs SA, 1st ODI Live Updates<\/a> | Scorecard<\/a><\/p>\n

Reflecting on Kohli\u2019s newest milestone<\/a>, Gavaskar said there is near-unanimous agreement among those who have shared a field with him. \u201cIt\u2019s not just me. Those who have played with him and against him all agree that he is the greatest in the one-day format,\u201d he said on JioHotstar at the mid-innings break, underlining not just admiration but a consensus forged over years of watching Kohli rise to challenge after challenge.<\/p>\n

The statistic that anchors this argument is hard to ignore: 52 ODI hundreds.<\/a> Gavaskar described it as a number that places Kohli \u201cright up there in the stratosphere,\u201d a level where very few have ever operated. Kohli\u2019s consistency, longevity and ability to deliver under pressure have all contributed to building a profile that transcends eras and conditions.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Adding to his point, Gavaskar referenced one of the fiercest judges in world cricket: Ricky Ponting. The former Australian captain, known for demanding standards and rarely handing out superlatives, recently said Kohli is the best one-day player he has seen. \u201cIt is rare\u2014very rare\u2014to get praise from an Australian,\u201d Gavaskar noted. \u201cSo if an Australian says he\u2019s the best, then there\u2019s no argument.\u201d Coming from Ponting, it isn\u2019t casual applause; it is an endorsement forged from competitive respect.<\/p>\n

The comparison with Sachin Tendulkar was inevitable, and Gavaskar addressed it without hedging. Tendulkar\u2019s 51 ODI hundreds had long appeared untouchable, a summit no one would climb again. Kohli has now gone past it. \u201cSachin has been right up there with 51 hundreds, but when you pass the great Sachin Tendulkar, then you know where you stand,\u201d Gavaskar said. \u201cIt\u2019s almost lonely at the top at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a sentiment that captures the essence of Kohli\u2019s legacy. In an era overflowing with formats, travel, pressure and scrutiny, he continues to produce milestones that recalibrate what excellence looks like. If greatness is measured not only by numbers but by the endorsement of those who understand the game\u2019s difficulty, Kohli\u2019s place is secure\u2014at the very top, exactly where Gavaskar says he now stands.<\/p>\n

– Ends<\/p>\n

Published By: <\/p>\n

Amar Panicker<\/p>\n

Published On: <\/p>\n

Nov 30, 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sunil Gavaskar has never been one to hand out praise lightly, especially when it comes to judging the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":291720,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1721,118175,102939,118174,118173,118176,118178,118177,118179,101,24063,56,54,55,15624],"class_list":{"0":"post-291719","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cricket","8":"tag-cricket","9":"tag-gavaskar-on-kohli","10":"tag-ind-vs-sa","11":"tag-kohli-52nd-century","12":"tag-kohli-odi-hundred","13":"tag-kohli-ranchi-hundred","14":"tag-kohli-vs-sachin","15":"tag-odi-batting-records","16":"tag-ricky-ponting-kohli-praise","17":"tag-sports","18":"tag-sunil-gavaskar","19":"tag-uk","20":"tag-united-kingdom","21":"tag-unitedkingdom","22":"tag-virat-kohli"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/291720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=291719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=291719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}