Former Indian fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad has lauded Virat Kohli for his exceptional batting displays in the current year, deeming it his finest season. After three consecutive seasons with an average below 40 in 2020, 2021, and 2022, the 35-year-old achieved an impressive average of 66.06 across formats in 2023.
Kohli notched up an outstanding eight centuries and concluded the year as the second-highest run-scorer, trailing Shubman Gill with a total of 2,048 runs. He achieved the milestone of becoming the quickest to reach 13,000 ODI runs and the first to hit 50 centuries in the format, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar in both records.
During a Q&A session on his Twitter account, Prasad commended Kohli for his remarkable comeback to form in the current year.
“He has proved again that he is a champion and the best batsman of this generation, been a phenomenal year for him,” Prasad said. “Would rate this as his best year, especially since it had come after a couple of difficult years for him. That hunger and zeal was refreshing and sign of a true champion that Virat is.”
The accomplished batsman is presently participating in India’s two-Test series in South Africa and emerged as their top batsman in the initial match. Kohli recorded scores of 38 and 76 on the challenging Centurion pitch as India faced a defeat by an innings and 32 runs.
Virat Kohli has been in great form throughout the year
Venkatesh Prasad selected Virat Kohli’s complete performance in the 2023 World Cup as one of his five remarkable displays for the year. The 35-year-old emerged as the highest run-scorer in the 2023 World Cup, setting a single-edition record with 765 runs in 11 matches at an impressive average of 95.62.
This outstanding performance led to Kohli being awarded the Player of the Tournament. The ex-pacer also selected Mohammed Shami’s overall performance in the 2023 World Cup as one of his top five displays. Shami secured an impressive 24 wickets in just seven matches, maintaining an average of 10.70, which included three instances of taking five wickets in an innings.
Prasad highlighted outstanding performances by Australians Glenn Maxwell and Travis Head, including Maxwell’s unbeaten 201* in a challenging run chase and Head’s centuries in the WTC and ODI World Cup finals against India. Head’s brilliant knocks contributed to Australia’s victories in both summit clashes.
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