Ahead of their first ODI match against India in Hyderabad on Saturday, Australia captain Aaron Finch has labelled his India counterpart Virat Kohli as “arguably the best player of all time in ODI cricket”.

Kohli has been the most consistent batsman of his generation and has scored runs in all conditions across all three formats of the game. However, his record in the ODIs has been simply astonishing.

The Indian skipper averages an astounding 59.50 runs from his 222 ODIs and has notched 39 centuries, a tally that is second only to Sachin Tendulkar’s 51 in the 50-over game. Kohli’s phenomenal run-making ability has put him in the conversation of the all-time greatest players in the 50-over format.

And now Finch has given his take on the issue.

The visiting Australian skipper believes that his Indian counterpart has a good shout at being regarded as the best player of all time in the ODIs.

“They [India] have got in Virat, arguably the best player of all time in ODI cricket”, he was quoted as saying by PTI at a pre-match press conference in Hyderabad on Friday.

Finch further highlighted India’s strengths in the ODI cricket.

“Rohit has been in good form. They have quicks, who move the ball upfront and execute really well at the death. They play well everywhere to be pretty fair.

“I think when you have a team that has played together for a long time, they understand each other well. Probably a settled group of 14 or 15 very good players are playing for a long time. That goes a long way as to why they have been so successful in particular,” he elaborated.

The first of the five-match ODI series between India and Australia will be played in Hyderabad on Saturday.

First Published: Mar 01, 2019 18:01 IST