Virat Kohli is counted among the finest batters to have played the game and even one of his fiercest on-field rivals and England great James Anderson agrees. In fact, Anderson reckons that not only is Kohli the best chaser in the history of the game but he also thinks there hasn’t been a better white-ball batter than the Indian. Anderson recently retired from international cricket bringing an end to a legendary career that saw him become the most prolific fast bowler in Test history.
In Tests, Kohli and Anderson squared off in 36 innings. The former India captain scored 305 runs against the pacer at an average of 43.57 while being dismissed as many as seven times. During India’s 2014 tour of England, Kohli struggled to get going with Anderson sending him back to the pavilion four times. Having been stung by the poor tour, Kohli returned in 2018 with a vengeance and amassed 593 runs in five Tests at 59.30.
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An audio clip of Anderson from the Tailenders podcast is being widely shared on social media where he’s marveling at the astounding numbers Kohli has racked up in chases. Kohli has scored 7852 of his 13906 runs in ODIs in chases while averaging 64.36. He has 27 centuries and 40 fifties while chasing.
“I do not know if there is been a better batter in the history of the game batting second and chasing down scores than Virat Kohli,” Anderson said. “His record at chasing is absolutely phenomenal. The number of hundreds he has scored in the second innings, chasing down scores is ridiculous.”
“It is no surprise that when he gets in that situation, with his mentality, it is just like it is meant to be. His self-belief is so high,” Anderson added.
When pressed further if he considers Kohli as the greatest white-ball batter, Anderson pointed out another ODI legend in Australian Michael Bevan who was known for his ability to finish games while batting in the lower middle-order.
“I cannot say that. I was thinking more in terms of just chasing. Michael Bevan from Australia comes to my mind, particularly in the late 1990s and early 2000s – he was just phenomenal coming in at number six and doing that job,” he said.
“Kohli batting at number 3 gets those hundreds while Bevan was renowned for getting his 50s, 60s and being at the end, while Kohli gets the big score, to get his teams over the line. I honestly can’t think of a better finisher and greater white-ball players than him (Kohli),” he added.
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