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Steve Waugh hails Virat Kohli as the greatest ODI cricketer ever, lauding his record-breaking career and impact alongside Rohit Sharma for India.
Virat Kohli walks onto the ground to bat past teammate Rohit Sharma (Picture credit: AFP)
Former Australian cricketer Steve Waugh has said that Virat Kohli is the greatest ODI player of all time, adding that he is a ‘once in a generation’ player, lauding the star Indian batter’s exploits with the bat and how people would always look forward to seeing him play.
Kohli, who turned 37 on November 5, burst onto the international scene 17 years ago as a promising teenager from West Delhi and has since risen to a stratospheric level in world cricket that few have ever reached.
A true ODI legend, Kohli is the second-highest run-scorer of all time and the fastest to reach every major milestone from 8,000 to 14,000 runs in the format’s history.
“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are two all-time great players. The former is probably the greatest ODI player of all time. You want to see them play everywhere. People on the Gold Coast would love to see them play, but they cannot play every match,” Waugh said while speaking to the media.
In his most recent outing, Kohli delighted fans with a vintage innings during India’s third ODI against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground last month, a masterclass straight out of his golden archives.
In the one-sided contest, Rohit produced a batting masterclass with an unbeaten 121 off 125 deliveries, while Kohli anchored the chase with a calm 74* off 81. Together, they powered India to a dominant nine-wicket victory over Australia while chasing 237.
Kohli and Rohit retired from T20Is after lifting the World Cup title in Barbados in 2024.
“Whilst they are still playing for India, that is fantastic. They have got a modern T20 side now, a lot of exciting stars playing. The game has got to evolve. It is always great to see all-time great players in action,” Waugh said.
“Someone like Kohli, that is a once-in-a-generation sort of player. If you get a chance, you want to see him play,” Waugh added.
November 06, 2025, 21:38 IST
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