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On a long road to recovery after a successful ICC World Cup campaign for the Virat Kohli-starrer India team in 2023, veteran pacer Mohammed Shami has weighed in on the best batsman debate amid the Test series ongoing between Rohit Sharma’s men and England. After losing the first match of the series to Bazball’s friendly English team, Shami-less India bounced back by crushing Ben Stokes and Co. in the recently concluded second Test in Visakhapatnam on Monday.
Pacer Shami was targeting his return in the five-match Test series against England. Shami started his training session after the South Africa Test series. The veteran pacer last played for the Rahul Dravid-coached India team in the One Day International (ODI) World Cup. Recently, pacer Shami, who is recovering from an ankle injury in the 2024 season, was asked to pick the best batsman in the world.
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‘Virat Kohli is the best’
Resolving the greatest batsman of all time (GOAT) debate by choosing the best batsman, Shami made a special mention of former India captain Kohli. Interestingly, Shami also recognized captain Rohit as the most dangerous batsman in the world. “Virat Kohli is the best batsman in the world. He just broke a lot of records. I feel Virat is the best, but if you ask me who is the most dangerous batsman in the world, I would say Rohit Sharma,” Shami said. News18.
Kohli beats Shami to ODI Cricketer of the Year award
While Shami was India’s standout player, captain Rohit and former captain Kohli topped the batting charts in the ICC World Cup. Leading from the front, captain Rohit guided India to a perfect ten in the round-robin phase of the World Cup. Breaking a host of records, batting icon Kohli finished the tournament as the leading run-getter. Kohli also upstaged Shami to win the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award for the 2023 season.
Rohit vs Kohli vs Dhoni: Shami picks India’s best captain
In his illustrious career as a white-ball player, pacer Shami represented India under the leadership of Kohli, Rohit and MS Dhoni. When asked to name India’s greatest ever captain, Shami explained why Dhoni is in a league of his own. Former India captain Dhoni is the only captain to have won a T20 World Cup (2007), 50-over World Cup (2011) and the ICC Champions Trophy (2013). “It’s different for everyone. It all comes down to comparison. Obviously you will go with the person who is most successful. So, I will choose Mahendra Singh Dhoni because whatever he has achieved, no one has been able to eclipse him,” Shami added.