Kevin Pietersen declares Virat Kohli: The former English batsman was vocal about the best batsman in contemporary cricket.
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It was more than a month ago that former England batsman Kevin Pietersen had been vocal about the idea of IPL 2020 kick-starting cricket season after the damage caused by the novel COVID-19 pandemic.
In an interaction with Reuters a few days ago, Pietersen urged the need for resuming the sport keeping in mind the common public needing a “morale boost”. Pietersen opined on lines of what former India batsman Gautam Gambhir had said regarding conducting IPL 2020.
“Fans, the public, need a morale boost. Their morale at the moment is so negative, so down in the dumps. Sport is so uplifting and so positive for so many people. New sport will have to be played behind closed doors until we find a vaccination for coronavirus.
“Sportsmen have got to deal with it. So what if the crowds are not there? The crowds may not be there in person but the broadcasting numbers will be massive. Some sportsmen are in the prime of their life. Why would they not want to be playing?,” Pietersen was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Kevin Pietersen declares Virat Kohli ‘above everybody else’ across formats
In a latest interaction with Times Now, Pietersen didn’t shy away from picking India captain Virat Kohli as the best batsman across formats in the modern-day cricket despite the presence of some tough competitors in Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and David Warner.
“No other option. It’s Virat Kohli, across all formats. He is way above everybody else,” Pietersen told Times Now. The 39-year old, who was seen in an Instagram Live session with Kohli when the lockdown had started, also differentiated between Kohli and Tendulkar and spoke on the prospect of Kohli surpassing Tendulkar.
Putting in the work is a way of life and not a requirement of profession. Choice is yours. pic.twitter.com/oymi2a5plw
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) May 15, 2020
“It’s difficult [to predict] because of injury and the longevity of [Sachin] Tendulkar’s career. Tendulkar wasn’t as emotional when he was in the field and he did not carry the same sort of aggressive attitude on the field. He was a lot more relaxed. It depends on how long Virat Kohli continues to play,” Pietersen said.
