Virat Kohli as good as Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Rahul Dravid, claims Sourav Ganguly

What's the story?

Former captain of the Indian cricket team, Sourav Ganguly has hailed Virat Kohli, claiming that he is up there with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid and the likes. Ganguly, who captained India in 49 Test matches, was heavily impressed with the character shown by the team touring South Africa as well.

"It has been a superb performance from India. To see them 3-0 up in a six-match ODI series in South Africa, especially after losing the Test series, speaks volumes of the character shown by Virat Kohli and his boys," wrote Ganguly for Times of India.

"I have been fortunate enough to play with and against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Ricky Ponting, and Brian Lara, and this man is right up there with all of them. What stands out for me is not just his amazing control and his ability to adjust but also the energy and intensity he brings to his batting in each and every innings," he added.

In case you didn't know...

The Indian team, under Virat Kohli, came back strongly after losing the first two Test matches against South Africa and since have won all the four encounters - one Test and three ODIs. They now lead 3-0 in the 50-over six-match series.

The heart of the matter

Kohli, probably, had the best year of his career in 2017, scoring 2818 runs across formats at an average of 68.73. Moreover, he recently completed his 34th ODI century, moving closer to Tendulkar's record of 49 hundreds in the format.

The Delhi-born batsman has led the team commendably as well and oversaw a nine-series wins streak. In South Africa, the team went toe to toe with the hosts in the first two Tests before succumbing under pressure. The team then came back strongly, winning an interesting third Test before steamrolling the Proteas in the first three ODIs.

What's Next

The Indian team face South Africa in the fourth match of the series on Saturday 10th February. Their task, however, might become a bit more difficult as AB de Villiers has returned to the side for the last three encounters.

Author's Take

Though Kohli, undoubtedly, is one of the best limited overs batsmen of all time, he still has some way to go before he can be named in the same breath as Tendulkar, Ponting or Dravid.