For former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf, Virat Kohli is a ‘complete package’

When it comes to choosing the best batsman in international cricket at the moment, former Pakistan captain and batsman Mohammad Yousuf is no exception from several others and votes for Indian captain Virat Kohli. He even called Kohli a batsman who belongs to a class different from other batsmen of his era and someone who others should aim to copy.

Kohli recently replaced former Australian captain Steven Smith, another prolific scorer in international cricket, as the No.1 batsman in Tests while continuing to occupy the position in the ODI format. He showed his class in the recently concluded Test match against England in Birmingham in which he scored 149 and 51 and was the only Indian batsman to put up a resistance in a game that the visitors lost by 31 runs. In the process of scoring the runs, he also buried the suspicion that prevailed over his ability to bat in the English conditions since his failure in the 2014 series.

“Virat Kohli is a batsman who I rate very highly. He’s in a different class compared to other batsmen of the modern era. Rohit Sharma, Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson are also very high-class batsmen. Whilst these four are a cut above the rest due to their performances and class, it is Virat Kohli who I believe the rest should aim to copy,” Yousuf told PakPassion.

“He is the complete package when it comes to batting. His aggression is second to none, it’s as though he has a fast-bowler’s aggression and mentality even though he’s a batsman. But what really makes him stand out from the rest is his fitness. I have never seen any Asian cricketer achieve the levels of fitness that Virat Kohli has.”

“He’s the world’s top batsman, he has proven his ability, he has been consistent and he has scored all of those runs not through luck, but due to sheer hard work, determination and dedication. Look at his record and his statistics and those numbers don’t lie, they confirm what a world-class performer he is.”

Yousuf, who played for Pakistan between 1998 and 2010, was one of their most prolific scorers with 7,530 runs in 90 Tests and 9,720 runs in 288 ODIs at impressive averages of 52 plus and 41 plus, respectively.

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