Kohli best batsman right now, but Sachin No.1 : Brett Lee

Brett Lee has said in an exclusive interview with the DNA that Virat Kohli has been on another level for the past few months.

"Kohli is at a different level. A lot of people think he's not human with what he has done this year. What Kohli has done over the last two years is that he has tightened up his technique, where he used to feel for the ball outside off stump and get nicked off. He's so good with the short ball, so powerful in the 'V', so powerful down the crease. He plays traditional cricket shots in an IPL set-up.

"He's not Chris Gayle hitting big sixes, he's got more sixes than anybody in IPL 2016 He is the classic, beautiful, perfect technique player. I've been so impressed with what I've seen of Kohli,” Brett Lee told DNA.

Lee though, had a suggestion for bowlers to tackle Kohli in T20s. He said, "In T20s, I'd have my first slip moved towards more of a fifth slip, sort of a fine gully because he loves to work the ball down to the third man. So, I'd block up that, make him try to come down the wicket at me and hit me over covers”.

Admitting that it is hard to compare players from different eras, the former speedster did offer his opinion about Kohli vs Tednulkar. "They're different players, and it's too hard to compare eras. We can't compare (Don) Bradman to Steve Waugh or Bradman to Sachin. We can't compare Sachin to Kohli. Sachin didn't play a lot of T20 cricket. You know, with 200 Test matches to his name, Sachin to me is obviously No. 1. In terms of what Kohli is doing, he's certainly the world's best batsman right now in my opinion,” Lee explained.

When asked how he rated the other three special batsmen - Williamson, Smith and Root, he said all of them are special on their own. "Kohli - Hungry, passionate, perfect technique. Kane Williamson - Beautiful technique, very sound, likes spending time at the crease. He's done really well for his country. Steven Smith - A bit loose the way he plays, a bit more flamboyant, but very, very strong mindset. Great leader, loves scoring runs. His technique, which is not everyone's bread and butter, is working for him, and he's very effective in what he does. Joe Root - His technique on seaming English wickets has proved that he can play on any surface around the world. He's a guy that's a very attacking batsman, and yet has a beautiful technique,” Lee opined, reported DNA.

“Where Smith can score very quickly, the other guys might be more technically in the 'V'. Smith can score behind square. So, everyone's got their pros and cons, but these are four amazing batsmen in the world right now."

(Also, read Sachin v Kohli - The end to the endless debate on who is the greater of the two)

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