5 Players Better Than Virat Kohli In His Prime

Virat Kohli was a different beast during his prime years between the start of 2014 and December 2019. Across formats, he won so many games for India in that duration.

From Jan 2014 to Dec 2019, the Delhi-born collected 14196 international runs in 270 innings at an average of 63.37 and a strike rate of 81.19, scoring 48 centuries and 61 half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 254 runs.

Every player has their different prime years in their career, and that could be for any span of years. There are not many players who have had a better average than Virat Kohli for such a long time.

5 Players Better Than Virat Kohli In His Prime

1. Don Bradman

The former Australian batter, Don Bradman, was arguably the best in the game in terms of average. His prime time was between the start of 1928 and 1938. He smashed 5093 runs in 57 innings at an average of 97.94, scoring 21 centuries and 28 half-centuries at the best score of 334 runs.

Also Read: MS Dhoni And Virat Kohli’s Messages To Vaibhav Suryavanshi Revealed

The next best average during the period was of G Headley from the West Indies, who had an average of around 67 with just 2000 runs. Bradman was one of the rare contributors for Australia in the early years.

2. Steve Smith

Since getting the captaincy of the Australian side, Steve Smith has been a different beast across formats. Even under Michael Clarke’s leadership, he was scoring regular runs, especially in the longest format of the game. It all started in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2014-15 against India when he smashed over 700 runs to beat Virat Kohli in the series.

Smith’s prime time was between 2014 and 2018. The right-handed batter nailed 5229 runs in 86 innings at an average of 71.63 and a strike rate of 57.05, thanks to 21 centuries and 19 half-centuries at the best score of 239 runs against England at Lord’s in 2015.

3. Kane Williamson

The former New Zealand captain also went through a prime time between 2014 and 2018. With the Kiwis not playing many international games per year, it was hard for Williamson to beat Virat Kohli in terms of runs.

He smacked 4071 runs during his peak in 73 innings at an average of 63.60 and a strike rate of 56.09, scoring 15 centuries and 17 half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 242 runs. The Blackcaps also reached the final of the 2015 ODI World Cup in this period.

4. Ricky Ponting

The former Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, was in marvelous touch across formats between the start of 2002 and the end of 2006. In 99 international innings, he smacked 6141 runs at an average of 72.24 and a strike rate of 61.52, thanks to 24 centuries and 21 half-centuries at the best score of 257 runs. This is also better than Virat Kohli’s prime average.

Also Read: Kuldeep Yadav To Be Banned By BCCI After He Slaps Rinku Singh Multiple Times

Ponting’s record at home and in the away series, including the 2003 ODI World Cup, which they went on to win under his leadership, is another feather in his cap.

5. Sachin Tendulkar

In terms of average between Jan 1994 and December 2000, Sachin Tendulkar is way behind Virat Kohli. But in that phase, he faced some prime bowlers of world cricket at their peak. The right-handed batter drilled 12911 runs in 279 innings at an average of 50.43 and a strike rate of 73.75.

It's hard to go beyond Virat Kohli’s prime time for such a long time across formats. Most of the batters have done it for a short period in fewer innings.