'They’ve been some great ones, but he’s right at the top of the tree' - Nasser Hussain ranks Virat Kohli above Sachin Tendulkar in ODI cricket

Virat Kohli struggled for runs heading into the Champions Trophy 2025. He was dismissed cheaply in the first match against Bangladesh. However, he oozed class in the highly-anticipated clash between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, on Sunday, February 23.

The legendary batter scored an unbeaten century (100* off 111 balls), hitting seven boundaries, as he helped India chase down a 242-run target with six wickets and 7.3 overs to spare. Notably, this was Kohli's record-extending 51st ODI ton and the first in the format since the one he scored against New Zealand in the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final.

While discussing about the former India skipper, Michael Atherton pointed out that there was no one better than Kohli when it comes to chasing in ODI cricket. The former England batter highlighted Kohli's phenomenal records and said that while he is an all-format stalwart, he is perhaps at his very best in the 50-over game.

“Virat Kohli in a run-chase in 50-over cricket, there’s been nobody better in the history of the game, really,” said Atherton on the “Sky Sports Podcast."

“51 centuries is an unbelievable number. I mean, he’s got 51 and he passed 14,000 runs, which only Tendulkar and Sangakkara have got past that mark in one-day cricket. And he got them in 60-odd innings quicker than Sachin, and I think about 90-odd innings quicker than Kumara. So, I mean, ODI is probably his best. You know, he’s been a great all-format player, clearly, but you’d probably say that ODI is his absolute best format,” he added.

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Meanwhile, former England captain Nasser Hussain agreed with Atherton’s analysis and placed Kohli ahead of iconic cricketers like Sachin and Sangakkara.

“He’s been an incredible player. Yeah, and you’d have to say probably the best player in ODIs of all time, really, with those stats you mentioned,” said Hussain.

“You’d have Tendulkar in the same conversation. Kumar, you’d have AB de Villiers. They’ve been some great ones, but he’s right at the top of the tree," he concluded.

India seal Champions Trophy semifinal berth 

Team India have already progressed to the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy 2025. Their last group-stage game, which is a mere formality. The Men in Blue will be playing against New Zealand on March 2.