5 of the best compliments Virat Kohli has received over the years

Virat Kohli has established himself as one of the greatest batters to play the game since making his debut in an ODI 13 years ago.

The former Indian skipper has been phenomenal with the bat, making and breaking several records as he piles up runs for fun.

Despite not winning any ICC trophy, India consistently dominated the bilateral series under Kohli and also reached the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy, the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup and the final of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship.

The first Test of the ongoing India-Sri Lanka series was his 100th in the format. The right-hander has scored 8007, including 27 centuries and 28 half-centuries.

In 270 ODIs, he has amassed 12311 runs with 43 tons and 64 fifties to his name.

Only the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, with 49 hundreds, has more centuries than Kohli in the 50-over format. Kohli is also only behind Tendulkar on the list of highest run-getters for India in ODIs.

He has also played 97 T20Is, scoring 2396 runs, including 30 half-centuries.

Over the course of his career, he has had plenty of compliments thrown his way, with a lot of the praise coming from some of the legends of the game.

Here are some of the best compliments Virat Kohli has received over the years:

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#1 "He reminds me of myself" - Sir Vivian Richards

West Indies legend Viv Richards is considered one of the greatest batters to grace the game.

Back in his playing days, he was known for dominating opposition bowlers with a certain swagger.

And way back in 2013, Richards showered some glowering praise on Virat Kohli, saying that the then-Indian rising star reminded him of himself.

Here is what he said:

"I love watching Virat Kohli bat. He looks to me like an individual of my own heart. I love his aggression and serious passion that I used to have. He reminds me of myself."

He also showered Virat with praise after he stepped down as India's Test skipper.

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#2 "The best player I've seen" - Justin Langer

Virat Kohli led India to their first ever Test series win in Australia when Justin Langer was the hosts' head coach. The former Aussie opener couldn't help but wax lyrical on him ahead of India's next tour Down Under.

Speaking about the then-India captain, Langer said:

"I know Virat Kohli is an extraordinary leader. He's probably the best player I've ever seen."

He added:

"His leadership, I've never seen an athlete with as much energy as he's got. I wish I had half of Virat's energy. The way he bats, the way he fields, the way he captains the side, he's tough, he's a really tough leader."

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#3 "Even if they used a marble, he'd see it like a balloon" - David Warner

David Warner was in brilliant form in the 2016 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), scoring 848 runs. He would have normally won the Orange Cap, but the Australian unfortunately ran into Virat Kohli, who was simply on fire that year.

Kohli went on to smash 973 runs, the most by any batter in an IPL season, with Warner's 848 the next best on that list. The right-hander hit four centuries and led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to the final, where they were bested by Warner's SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).

However, during the season, Warner was left in awe of the kind of form Kohli was in, and tweeted:

"Even if they used a marble @imVkohli would still see it as a balloon. #seriousplayer nothing can stop him."

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"I would be buying the latest Oxford dictionary" - When Ravi Shastri ran out of words

Apart from being India's head coach during one of their most successful periods as a Test team, Ravi Shastri is also a reputed commentator.

However, he ran out of words to describe Virat Kohli after he scored three centuries in a six-match ODI series in South Africa that India won 6-1.

For someone who has made some of India's most famous moments in recent times more memorable with his brilliant commentary, it was quite a compliment to Kohli that he said he needed to look up new words to describe the batter.

Here is his quote:

"I have a tip for you. If I was in your position I know what I would be doing tomorrow. I would be going to the bookstore and buying the latest Oxford dictionary, just to improve my vocabulary."

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#5 "To become a good player..." - Sunil Gavaskar on the secret to success

Legendary Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar gave Virat Kohli one of the best compliments when he made a distinction between good and great players.

Gavaskar himself was a prolific batter and was the leading run-scorer in Tests for a period of time, and he knows a thing or two about being a good cricketer.

Speaking about Kohli, he said:

"To become a good player, you need talent. To become a great player, you need an attitude like Kohli's."