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Virat Kohli is widely recognsied as one of the greatest batters to have played the game.
Virat Kohli (left) and Heinrich Klaasen (AFP Photo)
Former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull reckons that at the moment, he considers South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen on level terms with India batting superstar Virat Kohli as far as ODIs are concerned. Klaasen is known for his big hitting abilities, especially against the spinners.
Kohli is widely recognised as one of the greatest batters of the modern era who has proved himself across formats. The likes of Ricky Ponting even rate him as the greatest ODI batter.
Kohli’s record speaks for itself, especially in one-day cricket. The former India captain has scored 14096 runs from 300 ODIs at an average of 58.
He has scored 51 centuries – the most in ODI history – besides 73 fifties.
On the other hand, Klaasen, has become an intrinsic part of South Africa’s white-ball teams and has been scoring bucketful of runs at breakneck speed, especially in the past two years. In 59 ODIs, he has 2138 runs at an average of 44.54 and thus far scored four centuries and 11 fifties.
“It’s hard to separate him (Klaasen) and Virat Kohli at the moment,” Doull said on Sky Sports. “Some people have Klaasen at 1, some people have Kohli at 1, it doesn’t really matter. They can be first equal for mine, because he is just an absolute gem, whether it be spin, I don’t think anybody hits the spinners off the backfoot better. He waits for that sort of slow pace and he can hit downtown better than anyone in the world.”
South Africa will face New Zealand in the second semifinal of the Champions Trophy 2025 in Lahore on Wednesday.
Doull feels South Africa have a better bowling attack and fears New Zealand’s death-overs bowling is a weak link.
“So they (South Africa) are a cracking looking side, they bat deep. New Zealand bat deep, and it’ll come down; who bowls better? And South Africa just seemed like they’ve got the wood as a genuine bowling attack. The issue with New Zealand, the one and only issue has been their death bowling. It was quite good against India, but on a flat surface, on a really good batting surface, will it be the same?” Doull said.
