10 Years of Virat Kohli : Top 10 Quotes on King Kohli

18th August 2008. This date holds a special place in the history of Indian Cricket. A passionate and chubby teen, who led India to the U19 World Cup victory a few months prior to that date, made his ODI debut for the Indian Team against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.

Since then, what we have witnessed are some staggering numbers in Limited Overs as well as Test Cricket by the flamboyant Delhi-lad

Currently, Virat Kohli's Numbers in International Matches read: 9779 Runs in ODIs @58.21 || 2102 runs in T20Is @48.88 || 5794 runs in Tests @53.65, and a total of 57 International Centuries even before his 30th Birthday. These are some staggering numbers by Virat Kohli who has been India's best batsman across formats for a few years now.

Celebrating a decade of the absolute masterclass, let's take a look at the top 10 quotes on the Indian Captain from cricketing Legends and Experts from all over the world.

Special Mention: "Sachin was an Emotion. Kohli is an Experience." - Trendulkar.

#1 Brian Lara.

"He's just an unbelievable batsman. No need to say anymore." - Brian Lara.

The Prince Of West Indian Cricket, known to play long classical Test Innings, summed up his thoughts about Virat Kohli in rather few words.

Virat Kohli moved ahead of Caribbean legend Brian Lara in the all-time career-high Player Rankings for Test batsmen in January 2018. When a legendary batsman of a certain era says you're unbelievable, you definitely are.

#2 Sir Vivian Richards.

"I love watching Virat Kohli bat. I love his aggression and serious passion that I used to have. He reminds me of myself."

- Sir VIV Richards.

Often regarded as the Greatest ODI Batsman of all-time, Windies Great Sir Richards praised Kohli after his exploits in a Test Series between India and Australia in 2013, which India won 4-0.

The original Master Blaster of World Cricket has complimented Virat Kohli numerous times.

#3 Sunil Gavaskar

"To become a good player, you need talent. To become a great player, you need an attitude like Kohli." - Sunil Gavaskar.

Aggression is probably what defines the on-field nature of Virat Kohli. It won't be wrong to say that this attitude has taken him to the path towards greatness, and Kohli has handled it really well by not letting success and pride takeover and derail his career.

The Little Master meant serious business while praising Kohli's attitude and hunger for success.

#4 AB De Villiers

"He is a consummate surgeon at the crease, intensely focussed, working hard, playing the ball into gaps in the field and staying calm under pressure. He is always judging the right time to consolidate and the right time to seize a game by the scruff of the neck." - AB de Villiers

Former South African skipper, famously known as the Mr.360 of the cricketing world, has been a teammate of Virat Kohli at the IPL Franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore for over 6 years now. These two individuals reflect the epitome of international friendships created due to the format of the IPL.

Having helped shape Virat Kohli's and world cricket's attacking game, the Protean legend was full of praise for the Indian captain before the Champions Trophy Final in 2017.

#5 David Warner

"Even if they used a marble, Virat Kohli would still see it like a balloon." - David Warner.

It's not easy to get some serious compliments from a direct and a fierce competitor, especially if the rival is a typical Aussie like David Warner. Fire Vs Fire.

Kohli has often been said to be someone who can match the level of Aussie attitude in Cricket. The aggressive guy who won't sit quietly against a sled. However, Warner doesn't sit back when it comes to praising Virat Kohli.

He once even described Kohli as a 'Genius' when a user on Twitter asked him to describe Kohli in one word.

#6 Gary Kirsten

"Virat is a rare talent. I was fortunate to be part of that process of seeing him grow and that gives me immense pleasure." - Gary Kirsten.

A lot of credit for Virat's steady start in International cricket goes to former Indian coach Gary Kirsten. But the Protean states himself to be fortunate to experience the growth of Virat Kohli first-hand. That's some compliment now.

Under Gary Kirsten, India won the ICC World Cup in 2011 in India, ending a 28-year long wait. Virat Kohli played a crucial knock of 35 runs in the Final and Sri Lanka.

#7 Micheal Vaughan

"No shame in being beaten by a genius, Virat Kohli is a freak." - Micheal Vaughan.

After England lost the opening ODI of the 2017 series in India, Micheal Vaughan showered heaps of praise on Virat Kohli, who he terms as a genius.

The former English Skipper, who is pretty open about his cricketing views on Twitter also once tweeted "Virat Kohli is becoming a Wizard... Love watching him Bat" in 2013 after Kohli helped India to chase down a record total against Australia in an ODI.

#8 Ravichandran Ashwin

"The sandstorm from Sachin at Sharjah and the hailstorm from Kohli in Mohali should be written in the same paragraph." - Ravi Ashwin.

In what is said to be Virat Kohli's finest International T20 Innings, the Chase Master played out special and well planned innings of 82* off 51 balls to win the match against Australia. This was a Do-or-die match for both the teams and India won it to reach the Semi-Finals of the ICC World T20 2016.

For teammate Ashwin, the innings was so special that he said it was on par with Sachin Tendulkar's ultimate knocks at Sharjah in the summer of 1998, against Australia.

#9 Steve Waugh

"He (Kohli) has got the game to survive anywhere, I think he's got the best technique of anyone in world cricket. Kohli really is the premier batsman in world cricket." - Steve Waugh.

After Kohli's Epic knock of 149 against England in the 1st Test Match of the 2018 series, the whole world was in awe of Kohli's character and improvement after a disastrous series in England in 2014.

Former Aussie World Cup-winning captain and legend Steve Waugh admitted that Kohli is the best batsman and has got the technique to survive and score runs anywhere in the world. Virat Kohli was ranked the No.1 Batsman in Test Cricket by the ICC after this innings, his first time at the top and also the first Indian after Sachin Tendulkar. Successor indeed.

#10 Harsha Bhogle

The kind of form he's in, he picked this ball yesterday afternoon. - Harsha Bhogle.

India's own cricket expert and commentator, Harsha Bhogle, is never short of words while praising Virat Kohli. The silly yet legitimate comment came during a period when Kohli was at his peak in 2016. Smashing bowlers in all forms of the game relentlessly.

During that year, Kohli scored 4 IPL Hundreds, bagged the Man of the Tournament award in World T20, and emerged as India's leading run scorer in ODIs as well as the Tests with a heap of centuries.