"Big games equal big names": Ponting hails Kohli's Pakistan ton, calls him best ODI batter

Former Australian captain and multi-time World Cup-winning icon, Ricky Ponting hailed the star India batter Virat Kohli's century against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy, calling him the "best ODI player" he has ever seen. The game was headlined by Virat Kohli's carefully crafted unbeaten century, which not only secured India's win but also saw him achieve remarkable individual milestones of completing 14,000 ODI runs and going past Ponting to become the third-highest run-getter in international cricket. This was also Virat's first ton in the ICC Champions Trophy.

Speaking on The ICC Review, Ponting lauded Kohli's ability to produce clutch knocks in crucial moments, and for breaking a plethora of records on his way.

"I have always said big games equal big names. You need your big names to stand up in those big moments, and no bigger game for India than a game against Pakistan," the ICC Hall of Famer said as quoted by ICC.

"Your reputation is forged in what you do in the biggest contests on the international stage. So it is no surprise to me that that has happened," he added, describing Kohli's unbeaten 100 off 111 balls as a testament to his temperament and ability to deliver in crucial situations.

Ponting drew parallels between the batting stalwart's clutch knock in Melbourne at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022, against the same opponent, that steered India to a win to his brilliance in Dubai.

"Yeah, as you say, 2022 and now, he stood up against the team that he would probably steel himself the most to play against," Ponting said.

"And no bigger moment than last night when Pakistan had batted first on a tricky wicket. It needed someone at the top of the order to play a match-winning innings like that. And once again, it was Kohli to get the job done."

Opting to bat first, Pakistan posted 241 in 49.4 overs, a total that seemed competitive but ultimately fell short against India's batting prowess. Pakistan had several batters who got starts but failed to convert them into bigger scores, something Ponting pointed out as a key shortfall. Saud Shakeel (62), Mohammad Rizwan (46) and Khushdil Shah (38) all contributed, but none of them played a defining innings for the hosts.

"You look at the two scorecards, it's one, Virat making a 100, and lots of Pakistan starts without anyone going on and making a big score," Ponting noted.

"I have said forever, in any format of the game, a 50 or a half-century never wins you or your team anything. You have to get big scores. And so the individual big scores were not there, but the big partnerships were not there either."

Experienced duo Kuldeep Yadav (3/40) and Hardik Pandya (2/31) were instrumental for India in restricting Pakistan, ensuring that they couldn't set a more daunting target. Chasing 242, India lost early wickets, but Kohli anchored the innings with composure and precision. Forming a crucial partnership with Shreyas Iyer (56), he guided India home with several well-timed strokes and controlled aggression.

Ponting, himself among the leading ODI run-scorers, acknowledged Kohli's consistency and greatness. During his innings, Kohli also surpassed the 14,000-run mark in ODIs, now trailing only Kumar Sangakkara and Sachin Tendulkar.

"He has obviously been a champion player for a long, long time. And particularly in the white-ball formats, where he is been an unbelievably good 50-over player," Ponting said.

"I do not think I've ever seen a better 50-over player than Virat Kohli. Now that he has gone past me and only two ahead of him, I am sure he would want to give himself the best chance to be remembered as the all-time leading run scorer in the game. As long as the hunger is there, obviously physical-wise, he is probably as fit as he has ever been and works exceptionally hard on that side of his game," he added.

With Kohli now just 149 runs behind Sangakkara but over 4,000 short of Tendulkar, Ponting was asked if the latter's record was within reach.

"It is crazy when you think about it, is not it? Just how good Virat's been over such a long period of time, yet he is still 4,000 runs behind Sachin. It just goes to show how good Sachin was, but also his longevity in the game," Ponting said. But with someone like Virat, you never write him off. If the hunger's still there, then I am never going to write him off."

Meanwhile, Pakistan's campaign is now over after back-to-back losses at the tournament. Ponting questioned whether Pakistan were maximising the potential of their key players, particularly Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. "They have not been able to give their best back to their team. Those two guys had to stand up, they had to make big runs, and they have not been able to do it in the first couple of games, and that might be the reason why Pakistan do not make it through to the semi-finals," Ponting said. (ANI)