Former England captain Michael Vaughan is of the opinion that the legacy of Virat Kohli by the time he retires will be the biggest ever by an Indian cricketer, surpassing the greats of Indian cricket like Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Kapil Dev, and Sunil Gavaskar.
On Sunday, Virat Kohli achieved what a dozen years ago felt untouchable: Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI centuries. The Indian fans, and Sachin Tendulkar himself, are hoping that Kohli get his 50th century in the knockout games of the World Cup 2023.
Michael Vaughan gushed in praise for Virat Kohli, not just for his records, but also for his energy and dynamism when on the field.
Vaughan said on Cricbuzz: “He has probably been doing it for more than any of the players. I mean, MS Dhoni, Sachin (Tendulkar), Kapil (Dev) back in the day, Sunil (Gavaskar) and Zak (Zaheer Khan). Absolute legends back in the day, they are all incredibly great cricketers but Virat really did for Indian cricket, in terms of driving the professionalism that you require to be an athlete, to go out there and buzz in the field.
Virat Kohli’s legacy could quite possibly be the biggest: Michael Vaughan
Part of the 2011 World Cup winning team, Virat Kohli has hit the 500-run mark for the first time in an ODI World Cup. He’s now the second-leading run-scorer in the tournament with 543 runs, just 7 runs behind Quinton de Kock. Kohli has notched up 2 centuries and 4 fifties in 8 innings in the tournament so far. He averages 58 overall in ODI cricket.
Michael Vaughan added: “When he finishes, it will be in a few years I hope. But when he finishes, his legacy is going to be huge. It is just not going to be his numbers or his average which is near on 60 in one-day cricket, plenty in Test match cricket, probably breaks all the record. I think what he did for Indian cricket in terms of fitness, the drive of fielding. I think he has really driven Indian cricket forward.
“When he finishes, his legacy could quite possibly be the biggest of any individual that’s played cricket for India and that’s saying something after the legends I just mentioned.”
