Kohli compared to Sachin as Shastri dissects GOAT status ahead of IND vs NZ final: ‘Tendulkar loved his food, but said…’

Ahead of India's Champions Trophy final vs New Zealand, Ravi Shastri analysed Virat Kohli's GOAT status and compared him to Sachin Tendulkar.

Virat Kohli has been India’s star player in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025, and the former skipper has been headlining the show for Rohit Sharma and Co. In the semi-final win vs Australia, the veteran batter smacked 84 runs off 98 balls during the run-chase as India reached the summit clash. (IND vs NZ Live Score, Champions Trophy Final)

Ravi Shastri compared Virat Kohli to Sachin Tendulkar. (ANI)

His unbeaten match-winning ton vs arch-rivals Pakistan saw him get his 51st ODI hundred, and it looks like there is more to come.

Ravi Shastri dissects Virat Kohli's GOAT status

Speaking to The ICC review, Ravi Shastri, who worked with Kohli as national team head coach and is a cricket legend himself, opened up on the RCB star’s status as among the greatest cricketers in history. “His discipline, his awareness of match situations (are what sets him apart),” he said.

“I thought he tried to get ahead of himself in the last three or four years, where he was trying to outdo what he's good at and sometimes, it can catch up on you. But he's back to what he does best, which is take the singles, hit the ball along the ground, if necessary, go for the big one. Some of the greatest players who played the one-day game, especially in the chase, are guys who can do that.

“When you pick up singles with ease, there's no pressure. And then when you have another guy at the other end, someone like Shreyas (Iyer) who comes and smacks it, it takes the pressure off, it becomes still easier.”

Further comparing Kohli to other sporting greats, Shastri said, “You know people (like to) watch sport when they watch a sportsman with energy. Whether his name is (Cristiano) Ronaldo or it's (Lionel) Messi or whether it’s a (Novak) Djokovic or whether it's (Rafael) Nadal, that energy that they bring in – there’s a certain kind of charisma and it rubs off on other people. They want to watch this guy play.”

Kohli has also long been compared to Sachin Tendulkar, a former teammate of his. Weighing in on the comparison, Shastri said, “It just goes to show the amount of sacrifice an individual makes. I saw that with Tendulkar, loved his food, loves to do things that the other boys wanted to do, but said no.”

In the ongoing tournament, Kohli is India’s highest run-scorer with 217 runs in four matches, at a strike rate of 83.14. Overall, he is the fourth-highest run-scorer and could end the tournament on top.