Cricket action all around the world might be paused amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the debate over the best batsman in the world still continues amongst the fans. The likes of Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Virat Kohli are regarded as the ‘fab four’ of world cricket and their respective fans are engaged in a never-ending debate. Recently, former Australian captain Michael Clarke also presented his opinion on the topic and he was in no spot of bother is picking Indian skipper Virat Kohli as the best batsman across formats in international cricket. Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli Find Spot in Michael Clarke’s List of Greatest Batsmen.

The 39-year old heaped praises on the number-one ranked ODI batsman and termed his records as phenomenal. Clarke said that along with piling up a mountain of runs in ODIs and T20Is, Kohli has somehow found out a way of dominating the longest format of the game too. Comparing him to Sachin Tendulkar, the 2015-World Cup-winning captain also hailed Kohli’s appetite of scoring runs. Michael Clarke Says Australian Cricketers Were ‘Scared’ to Sledge Virat Kohli to Protect Their IPL Contracts.

“I think (Virat Kohli is) right now the best batsman across all three formats. His one day and twenty records are phenomenal and he’s also found a way to dominate Test cricket. What Kohli and Tendulkar have in common is they love making big hundreds,” Clarke was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.

Kohli is currently at the pinnacle of the ICC ODI rankings while is placed at the second spot in Test batting rankings. In the shortest international format, Kohli is the 10th ranked batsman. The Delhi-born cricketer has already achieved a lot in his illustrious career. However, he’s still just 31 and going by his fitness, a lot is cricket is left in him.

Kohli’s next assignment is scheduled to get underway with the start of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 where he leads Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, according to many reports, the gala T20 tournament is set to get called off owing to the pandemic threat.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 08, 2020 04:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).