Virat Kohli is on a different planet : Andrew Flintoff

The four are easily the creme de la creme in cricket right now. Since January 2016, Smith (68.09), Kohli (68.04), Williamson (52.20), and Root (49.23) have been the main run getters for their respective teams and boast of averages that others can only dream of. However, even in this elite list, Flintoff said that the Indian captain stood out.

“He’s absolutely on his own. You look at the four main captains; Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Virat Kohli. They’re all very, very good players but Virat is head and shoulders above all of them,” Flintoff told Metro.co.uk in an interview.

“You watch him play and the one thing that’s so impressive is that in Test cricket he’s got all the shots and tricks but decides to get his head down and grind runs out.

“In the short-form of the game, he just hits boundaries without looking like taking a risk. He’s in complete control. The other three I mentioned are very good players but Kohli is on a different planet.’

Flintoff also dismissed the thought that Kohli was a player who would struggle in English conditions, having scored just 134 runs in 10 innings, stating that he had enough talent to make the small adjustments to his game.

“It frustrates me when everyone says “he just does it in India, wait until he gets to England". That’s nonsense, he’s a fine player. When he comes to England the ball will nip around a bit and he’ll adapt his game accordingly," Flintoff added.

When asked if he would have liked to bowl to the Indian captain, Flintoff said, "I would’ve loved to have a bowl at him but I honestly don’t know what his weaknesses are.”