Virat Kohli Is Cricket's Cristiano Ronaldo, West Indian All-Rounder Says

Virat Kohli is without a doubt on his way to becoming one of the greatest cricketers to ever play the game and his talent is not only appreciated in India but across the world.

The 29-year-old Delhi-born batsman announced his arrival on the big stage after leading the India Under-19 squad to the World Cup win in Malaysia in 2008. Kohli’s first foray into the senior team was in the same year for India’s Tour of Sri Lanka.

Kohli played all five matches during the tour, which India won 3-2, and he even scored his first One Day International (ODI) half century in the fourth match to help the Men in Blue wrap up the series. Dilip Vengsarkar, who was the chief of selectors during that period, recently revealed his decision to pick Kohli over Chennai’s Subramaniam Badrinath brought his tenure to an abrupt end.

Despite the disagreement over his selection in 2008, it was a masterstroke, as the Delhi batsman has gone on to conquer the game in all three formats — Test Cricket, ODIs and Twenty20 in the last decade. Kohli is currently the skipper of the Indian cricket team and since his debut he has recorded 56 centuries in Tests and ODIs combined and is only second to Sachin Tendulkar, who has 100 in both formats.

Kohli also recently led India to a record nine consecutive Test Series wins and has been leading from the front in making the Men in Blue a force to reckon with, home and away. West Indian Dwayne Bravo, who is currently in India representing the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has compared the Indian skipper to legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Real Madrid star is considered one of the best footballers to ever play the game and Bravo believes Kohli has achieved that status in cricket.

“It's (equation with Virat is) good. Virat actually played under-19 (cricket) with my younger brother Darren and I always tell my brother that Virat is a person he shall look up to, I am not saying that because I am here,” Bravo said, as quoted on news18.com. “I actually asked Virat to talk to my brother personally about batting, about cricket. When I see Virat, I see Cristiano Ronaldo of cricket,” he said.
"For me as a cricket player to play against him and to watch him play when he represents India, even RCB, I admire the talent that he has, the passion he has for the game, for the sport when he plays. So hats off to him and he deserve all the achievement,” the West Indian all-rounder added.

Kohli, who is currently playing the IPL representing the Bangalore Royal Challengers, became the highest scorer in the world’s most popular cricket league Tuesday. He scored 92 in a losing cause against the Mumbai Indians, but overtook Chennai Super Kings’ Suresh Raina in the process to become the top scorer in IPL history.