I laugh when comparisons are made between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam, Steve Smith, or Joe Root: Mohammad Amir

Virat Kohli is undoubtedly one of the finest batters in the current generation. During his illustrious career, cricket enthusiasts have compared him to his contemporaries like Babar Azam, Steve Smith, Joe Root, and Kane Williamson. As the former India captain is going through a lean patch in the red-ball arena, some experts and fans have started to write him off.

However, Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir still believes that no batter in the modern era comes close to the aura of Kohli. The former opined that the number of games Kohli has won for his team is almost impossible to match.

"Virat Kohli is the greatest player of this generation. I laugh when comparisons are made between him and Babar Azam, Steve Smith, or Joe Root. We cannot compare Virat Kohli to anyone because he has won so many matches for India, which seems impossible for any one player. Not just in one format, but in all three formats, Virat is the greatest batsman of this generation," Amir said on the Cricket Predicta Show.

The left-arm speedster also praised Kohli's work ethic and recalled how the Delhi batter bounced back emphatically after the disappointing campaign he had in England in 2014. Amir said that taking Kohli's wicket was a critical moment in the 2017 Champions Trophy final between India and Pakistan as the right-handed batter could have helped the Men in Blue chase down the mammoth 339-run target.

"Virat Kohli’s work ethic sets him apart from all players. After his bad phase in England in 2014, the way he made a comeback and then consistently performed brilliantly for the next 10 years was no ordinary feat. His wicket in the 2017 Champions Trophy final was very important for us, which helped us win the final. If Virat had not been dismissed, we would have lost the final because we all know how exceptional Virat’s record is while chasing runs," he added.

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Kohli has been struggling for runs in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. In five innings, he has scored just 126 runs at an average of 31.50. 100 out of those runs came in the second innings of the first Test in Perth. He will look to bring his A-game to the fore when India and Australia lock horns in the fourth Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), starting on Boxing Day.

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