I'm among the best in the world, says Tottenham's Kane

REUTERS - Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane believes he is one of the best strikers in the world after his hat-trick in Sunday's 4-0 win over Stoke City took him past 20 goals in all competitions for a third successive season.

Kane, who scored his second hat-trick in a week and third in nine games in Sunday's match, is level with Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku on 17 goals as the top flight's leading scorer this season as he seeks to retain the golden boot.

"I feel that if you look at my stats, my goals, then I'm up there. If you guys want to print that (I'm one of the best in the world), I'm more than happy to have that," Kane told British media.

Kane missed seven weeks with an ankle injury earlier this term, but the England international believes the time on the sidelines has put him in his best possible shape.

"Is this my best form ever? Yes I think so, I feel fresh, I feel sharp, I feel in good shape. Of course that injury I had earlier in the season might have done me a bit of good, getting a bit more rest," Kane said.

"I've had a good couple of months now so it's important I continue that until the end of the season."

Tottenham, who are second in the table and 10 points behind Chelsea with 12 games remaining, host seventh-placed Everton on Sunday.

(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)