New Delhi: Sri Lankan legend Marvan Atapattu has lavished praise on Virat Kohli & Co saying, the current Indian team is currently the best side in the world. India completed a rare tour whitewash of Sri Lanka, winning all of nine matches across three formats of the game.
Atapattu, 46, also said claimed that the Indian team can also win matches outside the sub-continent. Despite India's brilliant form in the last two years, many still called the team a home track bully, with limited resources to excell in overseas condition.
The former opener then laid out the difference between India and Sri Lanka, but blamed the islanders for their failed transition. Once considered a formidable side in world cricket, Lanka have are currently facing existential crisis, and are in danger of missing the direct bus the 2019 World Cup.
“Now India is the best not only in the sub continent but outside too. Sri Lanka, unfortunately, have been having problems. I will stay away from using the word transition because that has been going on for too long for my liking. When you look at the players and the group, obviously you feel that they lack self-confidence,” Atapattu said in an interview with International Business Times.
He went onto say that Kohli is the best batsman he has seen his career. Kohli hit three hundreds in the tour, unbeaten 103 in the first Test at Galle, then two back-to-back tons in the fourth and fifth ODIs. In the process, he overtook Aussie legend Ricky Ponting as the second most century maker in the ODIs, with 30 tons. Sachin Tendulkas has 49 hundreds.
The 28-year-old also played a blistering knock 82 runs in the lone T20I match to culminate the series.
“Virat is batting as well as anybody I have seen in my career. If he continues to bat this way, obviously it doesn’t have to come from me, he will go past everybody," he predicted.
However, Atapattu warned Kohli to be ready for bad times too. But he is confident that the Indian captain will come out stronger every time he encounter poor form. The perfect example, as Atapattu mentioned, was Kohli's form in England.
But in reality, cricket won’t stay the same. There will be both good and bad times. The important thing is how he comes out of bad times when he gets into. It happened to him in England but he came out of it. But it (bad form) won’t happen to him too many times. Certainly, he is the best in world cricket today.”
Atapattu is scheduled to mentor Karnataka Premier League side Belagavi Panthers.
Regarded as one of the most gifted and stylish batsman, Atapattu survived a series of ducks at the start of international career before finally cementing his place in the annals of Lankan cricket.
The right-handed batsman played 90 Tests and 268 ODIs, scoring 5502 and 8529 runs with the help of combined 27 hundreds.
