“The risk percentage is up to 90 percent” – Sunil Gavaskar compares Virat Kohli to Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has praised Virat Kohli for his grounded shots in limited-overs cricket. He reckons that an extra two runs in an attempt to hit a six leads to a 90 percent risk shot, which often results in a wicket. The cricketer-turned-commentator credited the right-hander for his sharp running between the wickets to make up for the loss.

The statement came after the former Indian captain scored an unbeaten 166 runs in 110 balls in the third ODI against Sri Lanka on January 15. India won the game by 317 runs. The 34-year-old scored 66 runs while running between wickets besides scoring 13 boundaries and eight sixes.

Speaking to Sports Tak, Gavaskar said:

“It’s not important to try and hit only sixes in limited-overs cricket. The difference between four and six is two runs but the risk percentage is up to 90 percent."

He added:

"Kohli knows that his running between the wicket is brilliant. He not only runs for himself but also for his partner.”

Meanwhile, former India cricketer Madan Lal has credited Kohli for his ability to build and accelerate during his innings. He said:

“Everybody was waiting for Virat Kohli’s form. When such a big player in form, we’ve already seen him score four hundreds recently. His specialty is the ability to build his innings. He knows how to accelerate.”

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“Despite playing risk-free shots, his scoring rate is more than run a ball” – Sunil Gavaskar on Virat Kohli

Gavaskar further stressed that Virat Kohli bats at a strike rate of over 100 despite playing risk-free shots. He claimed that this is not the case with Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Rohit Sharma. He hailed Kohli for only playing lofted shots after his ton.

He said:

“If you’ve seen Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Rohit Sharma’s batting, they take a slight risk. They try to hit sixes."

Gavaskar continued:

"Virat Kohli plays along the ground till his century and then only plays lofted shots. Despite playing risk-free shots, his scoring rate is more than run a ball, which is a good thing.”

Kohli will next be seen in action in the first ODI of the three-match series against New Zealand in Hyderabad on Wednesday, January 18.