Virat Kohli names two cricketers he considers 'Greatest of All Time'

BENGALURU: Star India and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Virat Kohli on Wednesday revealed two batters that he regards as the 'Greatest of All Time', saying that they changed the dynamics of cricket completely.

"I have always taken two names, Sachin Tendulkar and Sir Viv Richards are the GOATs of Cricket. Sachin is my hero. These two have revolutionized batting in their generation and completely change the dynamic of cricket. That is why I feel they are the two greatest," said Virat in a video posted by RCB.

Sachin and Viv both have the numbers that justify Virat's words. In 664 international appearances, Sachin scored 34,357 runs at an average of 48.52, with 100 centuries and 164 fifties. His best score is 248*.

He holds numerous records in the sport, including most runs in Tests, ODIs and international cricket as a whole. He is also the only player to score 100 international centuries, with Virat (75 centuries) as his distant rival. With 201 international wickets and the best bowling figures of 5/32, Sachin was a capable spin bowler as well.

Viv also had the reputation for being one of the most dangerous batters of his time. He was part of the West Indies side that won the 1975 and 1979 Cricket World Cups. He scored 8,540 runs in 121 Tests at an average of 50.23, with 24 tons and 45 fifties. He also scored 6,721 runs in 187 ODIs at an average of 47.00, with 11 tons and 45 fifties.

On being asked what he would say if he shared a table with the retired tennis great Roger Federer and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, Virat said that he would just listen to both of them talking.

"I would just keep quiet and listen to both of them. I do not have much to contribute to that conversation. It would be all about soaking everything in, listening to two of the greatest athletes in the history of sports," said Virat.

Recalling the fun he used to have playing with trump cards as a kid, Virat said that it was one of his favourite things to play with his friends. "We used to hunt for those cards. Lex Luger (former WWE wrestler), used to be ranked one.

There was Giant Gonsalvez (WWE wrestler) as well. It was fun playing with those cards. I also had posters of sportspersons, especially cricketers," said Virat.

RCB will start their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season with a match against Mumbai Indians (MI) at their home arena, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on April 2.

Last year, RCB qualified for playoffs and lost to Rajasthan Royals in qualifier 2 by seven wickets.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Squad strength: 25 players (overseas 8) Players bought during IPL 2023 auction - Reece Topley (INR 1.9 crore), Himanshu Sharma (INR 20 lakh), Will Jacks (INR 3.2 crore), Manoj Bhandage (INR 20 lakh), Rajan Kumar (INR 70 lakh), Avinash Singh (INR 60 lakh).

Players retained - Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, Siddarth Kaul, Akash Deep.