I have never seen a cricketer like Virat Kohli: Kapil Dev

Legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev has come out in strong support of India’s Test captain Virat Kohli saying that he hasn’t seen a cricketer like him and the star batsman can score in all conditions. The comments could be an indirect dig at England fast bowler James Anderson who triggered a controversy by stating Kohli had made a mountain of runs in Indian conditions, which according to the England pace spearhead, ‘take any flaws out of the equation’.

Most recently, BCCI president Anurag Thakur also backed Kohli and said that Anderson is speaking out of the frustration of his own failures. When asked for his take on the subject, World Cup winning captain Kapil said Kohli can and will score runs in all countries including England, where he endured a tough time two years ago.

“Virat can very well play in all conditions. He is simply playing fabulous cricket. It is great to see an Indian play like this. I have never seen a cricketer like him,” said Kapil at an event in the Capital on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old has already scored 41 international hundreds and averages more than 50 in all three formats. Is he good enough to break Sachin Tendulkar’s records and is he better than his peers — Joe Root and Steve Smith?

Kapil said: “All I would say is look at Virat’s record. That speaks for itself. The records show that he is the best at the moment.”

The win at the Wankhede Stadium gave India the Anthony De Mello series also stretched Indian unbeaten streak to 5 series. When asked about his captaincy he said that it is too early to judge Kohli’s captaincy even though he has managed to win five successive series. “It is too early. He has got a long way to go,” he said.

Kapil also appreciated Ravichandran Ashwin’s bowling effort which was instrumental in the recent win. The off-spinners snapped six wickets in each innings to ensure England could stay in the contest for long.

“He is one of the fabulous bowlers we have seen. Rather than he breaking my record or anyone else’s, what target he would set for others is more important,” he said speaking about his performances.