Sunil Gavaskar says Virat Kohli has been ‘most impactful ODI player for India in this decade’

Sunil Gavaskar believes that it is not just about the stats and numbers, but also about how Kohli’s numbers has resulted in India winning the game.

India captain Virat Kohli is regarded as one of the best cricketers of the modern era. The fact that Kohli did not score a century in 2020 became a huge topic of discussion after India’s ODI tour in Australia - despite the fact he scored two back-to-back fifties against the solid bowling line-up in Australia. Such is the impact that Kohli has in the limited-overs cricket.

Cricket - Third Twenty20 International - Australia v India - Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia - December 8, 2020 India's Virat Kohli talks to the media as he celebrates after winning the series REUTERS/Loren Elliott (REUTERS)

This is the reason why former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes that Kohli is the player who has had most impact in the ODIs in the past decade.

Kohli, during the Australia ODI series, broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record to become the fastest player to reach the 12000-ODI run mark. Gavaskar believes that it is not just about the stats and numbers, but also about how Kohli’s numbers has resulted in India winning the game.

“I think if you look as an individual then certainly it’s got to be Virat Kohli, because if you look at the number of matches he’s won for India when India has been chasing big scores,” Gavaskar said on on Star Sports’ Cricket Connected.

“I look at the impact a player has had, and not just the runs or wickets that he has taken, and in that aspect you have got to say that in this decade it really has been Virat Kohli who has had the most impact on the matches that India has won,” he added.

India will play four-match Test series against Australia starting from first Test in Adelaide which begins from December 17th.