Virat Kohli is the world’s finest batsman. Kohli is unquestionably one of cricket’s best players of all time. In 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, the Indian captain concluded as the ICC No. 1 ODI batsman. ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade was also awarded to the right-handed batsman (2011-2020). He has swiftly established himself as one of the best players in the limited-overs format. Kohli has set high expectations for future players. In recent years, several cricketers from other countries have been compared to Kohli.
Kohli isn’t content with only setting standards with his bat; he’s also launched an Indian fitness revolution. Kohli’s never-say-die attitude has aided his development as a great international player. Kohli has a lot of one-day international experience, with 12169 runs in 254 games, 43 centuries, and 62 fifties. He is a world-class cricketer, as evidenced by his statistics.
Virat Kohli has already set a number of batting records and is poised to set much more in the future. Kohli’s hard work and commitment have brought him a lot of success in international cricket over the years. Few players were projected to achieve the same level of success as Kohli following a bright start in their careers.
Let’s look at the players who started at a similar time as Virat Kohli but couldn’t make it big:
Ahmed Shehzad
Ahmed Shehzad is the first Pakistani cricketer to reach the century mark in each of the three formats. It implies that the right-hander is versatile enough to succeed in a number of settings. Shehzad was attracting worldwide notice, and the country even labeled him “the batting mainstay of the next decade.” Fans began to compare him to Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli.
With his talent, he might have given Virat a run for his money, but his foolish mistakes cost him dearly. His physical health and behavioral issues both contributed to his downfall. He’s been putting in enormous hours on the domestic circuit to restore his position in the national team since then.
Manpreet Gony
Manpreet Gony, a Punjab fast bowler, was able to play a few matches for the Indian cricket team. Gony rose to prominence while playing for Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural IPL in 2008. Based on his outstanding performance in the IPL, Gony earned a spot on the Indian team the following year. He could not hold on to his spot, and after a few games, he was dismissed from the squad. Gony’s career was cut short after this because he was unable to make a return.
Umar Akmal
The crowd was astonished by Umar Akmal’s batting skill, and some analysts named him the game’s rising star. Around the same time, Virat Kohli made his debut, and the cricketing community began to draw parallels between him and Akmal as a result. Umar’s batting prowess is unrivaled. Unfortunately, the Pakistani player was not well received by the selectors, and he only made infrequent appearances in the Green shirt. According to his brother, Kamran Akmal, Umar would have been a consistent performer like Virat if he had been given regular opportunities.
Yusuf Pathan
When the topic of an aggressive batsman in the Indian cricket team comes up, everyone mentions Yusuf Pathan of Baroda. Yusuf was regarded as a threatening batsman who represented India in ODI and T20 cricket for a few years. Yusuf was already a part of Virat Kohli’s team. Pathan was India’s top player for a few years, but he hasn’t had an opportunity to play since 2012. He is now playing local cricket for Baroda, and an international career appears to be out of the question.
Jonathan Trott
Jonathan Trott was one of the most consistent batsmen in Test cricket from 2009 to 2011, averaging above 40. In One-Day Internationals, Trott was more prolific, averaging 49.33, 47.86, 52.60, 41.00, and 61.10 in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. The South African-born batsman helped England win the Ashes series in Australia in 2010-11 after making a century on his Test debut. The subsequent visit to Australia in 2013-14 was a watershed moment in his career. After England’s 381-run defeat in the first Test in Brisbane, the right-handed batter ruled himself out of the rest of the series due to stress-related illness. He retired from international cricket in 2015 after scoring 72 runs at 12.00 in three Tests against the West Indies.
