‘He’s a much superior player’ – Salman Butt ignites Virat Kohli-Joe Root debate

Virat Kohli and Joe Root (Photo Source: Twitter)

Star India batter Virat Kohli scored a magnificent hundred on Day 2 of the second Test between India and West Indies at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad. The former India captain played a scintillating knock of 121 (206) laced with 11 boundaries to help his side post 438 in the first innings. Notably, it was Kohli’s first hundred away from home since 2018, when he scored a ton in Perth against Australia.

The 34-year-old had been having a torrid time in Test cricket since 2020 until he ended his hundred drought earlier this year against Australia in Ahmedabad. While Kohli was going through the toughest period of his career, one of his strongest competitors, Joe Root, was in the form of his life as he’s the highest run scorer in Test cricket since 2019.

Comparing Root’s new batting style, where’s he seen scooping seamers, with Virat Kohli, former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt said that Indian batters play the ball on its merit and only a few have been aggressive.

“If all of your friends are doing something and you aren’t, you will eventually pick some habits from them because you’re eventually playing with them. Indian batters, both new and old, like to play the ball on its merit. There would only be one or two players who play very aggressively,” Butt said on his Youtube Channel while replying to a fan query.

He further said that Kohli doesn’t need to do anything special as he’s a much superior player to Root.

“Whereas England’s culture has become going out-of-the-box If someone plays defensively, he looks out-of-the-box. It’s opposite in India. I don’t think Virat Kohli needs to do anything like that. He’s a much superior player,” he added.

Kohli has most hundreds after 500 matches

Notably, Root has scored 4812 runs since 2019 from 57 matches at an average of 50.12 with 15 hundreds to his name. On the other hand, Kohli has just scored 2086 runs from 35 matches at an average of 38.62 with four hundreds and nine fifties to his name.

Meanwhile, Kohli also brought up his 76th international hundred in the second Test versus WI, which was also his 500th international game. Kohli now has the most number of hundreds after 500 games and is closing in on Sachin Tendulkar’s world record of 100 international hundreds.