Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma? Jhye Richardson names the best batsman he has ever bowled to

Ever since bursting out on the international stage, Virat Kohli’s career has been nothing short of a fairy tale. From starting his career as an impulsive chubby youngster to becoming one of the best batsmen of the modern-era– Kohli’s journey in international cricket has flourished at a significant rate.

Kohli, while donning the national jersey in 86 Tests, 248 ODIs and 82 T20Is, has gathered over 20,000 international runs. His consistency and impeccable technique make him one of the deserving candidates of the ‘Fab Four’ list.

However, one more Indian name– Rohit Sharma– has been regarded as one of the worth contenders of the ‘Fab Four’, especially after his stellar performance in the 2019 World Cup. It was a tournament to remember for the right-hander as he hit a purple patch, scoring 648 runs in 9 games at an average of 81.00 with five tons and a half-century.

Australia pacer Jhye Richardson, in a recent podcast, was asked to name the best batsman he has ever bowled to in his career. “Virat Kohli without a doubt,” responded Richardson in no time. He further also explained the reason behind him picking Kohli over Rohit.

Virat Kohli’s at a different level: Jhye Richardson

“He (Virat Kohli) bats with so much energy and you can tell he’s on a different level than anyone else you bowl to. Even in the Indian team when you’ve got the Rohit Sharma’s and all but Kohli’s at a different level,” said Richardson.

“He hits the ball in areas that you can’t even imagine. You can tell that he pushes the other guys in the team to sort of step up when he’s batting with them. He’s unbelievable. He can change a game like that,” he added.

Talking about Richardson’s stats against Kohli, he has been able to dismiss the Indian skipper on four occasions in One-day Internationals.

“There were a few times that I bowled to him in India post their Australian tour, as soon as I came on to bowl, it’s like he wanted to take me down straight away. He was in the fight from ball 1. I felt I was on the backfoot,” concluded Richardson.

23-year-old Richardson has been one of the vital cogs of Australia in the limited-overs format. However, due to a shoulder injury, he was ruled out of the 2019 World Cup and the Ashes. He did make a comeback last year, played a couple of ODI series, but was still unable to commit fully. Richardson last donned the Australian jersey in March against South Africa in an ODI at Potchefstroom.