Watch- ‘Virat Kohli Is The Emperor’- Dinesh Karthik Ends The King Dispute Once And For All

Virat Kohli's game-winning century against Pakistan in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has earned him a lot of acclaim from former Team India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik. India defeated Pakistan by six wickets on Sunday, February 23, in Dubai, thanks in large part to Virat Kohli.

Dinesh Karthik praised Kohli's years of consistency in ODI cricket and called him the "king" and "emperor" of the game.

This was his fourth century in the format versus Pakistan and his 51^st in the ODI format. In all formats, it was his 82^nd international century, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar's 100-century record.

Virat Kohli Becomes Fastest Cricketer to Reach 14,000 ODI Runs

Before the game, Kohli needed just 15 runs to reach the 14,000-run mark. In the 13th over of India's chase, the star batsman reached it spectacularly with a four off Haris Rauf between mid-off and cover.

In just 287 innings, he became the fastest batter in history to attain the milestone. Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar, who needed 350 innings to reach the same milestone, was eclipsed by the Delhi-born player.

Among the top batters is former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara. Sangakkara is now in third place after reaching the milestone in 378 innings.

Dinesh Karthik ends KING dispute between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam for once and for all

Dinesh Karthik claimed that Virat Kohli's batting exploits garnered him a great deal of respect from cricket players in a video posted on Instagram by the ICC. Reaching 14,000 ODI runs 65 innings ahead of Sachin Tendulkar, according to Karthik, demonstrates his steady play over a ten-year span.

"He's the king, he's the emperor. I think most cricketers will bow down and respect what he has done for this game. Scoring 14,000 runs is one thing, but achieving it in 65 innings ahead of the all-time great Sachin Tendulkar, who is second, is unreal. Just to put it into context, doing it in such a short time means you need to be consistent for almost a decade. And that man is special," Karthik said.

Dinesh Karthik hailed Virat Kohli as the "emperor of ODI cricket," calling him one of the greatest players in the format. Karthik also expressed confidence that Kohli will continue to achieve more.

"We all know him as the chase master, but he's the emperor of ODI cricket. One of the greatest that's ever played this format. And he will definitely go down as one of the best batters of the generation.

And the names that he's stacked up with, Kumar Sangakkara just ahead of him, and then Sachin Tendulkar, two of the best that have ever played the game. But to have done it at that speed, and you know he's going to go for a lot more, considering how well he's batted today. Well, hats off to the man. That's outstanding stuff, Virat Kohli," he concluded.

Here is the video:

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