Virat Kohli Is 'The Best ODI Player Of All Time', Says Former Australian Captain

Virat Kohli's stock has been on the up for quite a while now, with the Indian skipper scoring centuries at will. The South Africa series was being seen as the litmus test for not only his captaincy but his scoring prowess in alien conditions and Kohli has so far come through with flying colours. Barring a few disappointments in the Test series, Kohli and Team India have come back with vengeance to blow the hosts away in the ODIs. Kohli slammed his 34th ODI century to help India record a comprehensive 124-run win in the third ODI at Newlands. Congratulatory messages on Twitter poured in after Kohli's sensational innings but the biggest compliment came from former Australian captain Michael Clarke, who dubbed Kohli as "the best ODI player of all time".

The best ODI player of all time!!! https://t.co/uC7maG161U

— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) February 8, 2018

Australian batsman David Warner too lauded Kohli, saying that he is on a different level.

He's on a different level this bloke wow. What a player@imVkohli https://t.co/SoDyRQajQi

— David Warner (@davidwarner31) February 7, 2018

Kohli ended the year 2017 with the most runs in ODI cricket, notching up a mammoth 1,460 runs in 26 matches at an average 76.84 and a strike rate of 99.11. He had six hundreds and seven half-centuries. And it seems Kohli has started 2018 from where he left off.

After starting the ODI series with a brilliant century in Durban, Kohli notched his second of the ongoing series with a scintillating 160 not out off 159 balls.

Kohli's knock ended up being the highest individual score by an Indian batsman against South Africa in South Africa, going past Sourav Ganguly's 127 at Johannesburg in 2001.

The Indian skipper's second highest ODI score helped India completely blow away the hosts in the third ODI as the visitors took an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Kohli also became the first Indian batsman to score a hundred against South Africa at Newlands. Only Ganguly previously had an ODI century at this ground, but that came against Kenya in March 2003.

Records kept tumbling as his innings progressed. He also became the Indian ODI captain with most hundreds to his name.