Michael Holding: Once Virat Kohli “score runs in England, I would call him a great player”

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Legendary West Indies pace bowler Michael Holding believes that India captain Virat Kohli has to improve his record in England if he is to be considered a “great player”.

While Holding is well aware that Kohli has been racking up the runs and breaking numerous records along the way, he pointed out that the 29-year-old’s statistics in England don’t make for good reading.

Kohli has played five Test matches in England to date and only managed to score 134 runs at an average of 13.40. His top score in the country is a measly 39.

“Virat Kohli is a fantastic batsman,” Holding told the Mumbai Mirror as quoted by CricTracker. “I was asked to name three top cricketers and I included Kohli on that list. He is a very, very good player. When I see him score runs in England, I would call him a great player. I like people who score runs everywhere. He is an extremely good player.”

Sticking on the subject of his list of top three cricketers right now, Holding revealed that England captain Joe Root and Australia skipper Steve Smith join Kohli on his list.

“The three cricketers I think are the best now are Joe Root, Virat Kohli and Steve Smith,” he said. “AB de Villiers has just come back into Test cricket and let’s see how he does. I don’t want to include him yet in that list.”