Ravi Shastri sees Viv Richards and Imran Khan in Virat Kohli

One of Virat Kohli's unabashed fans, Indian head coach Ravi Shastri, has compared him to cult cricketing figures like Sir Vivian Richards and the iconic former Pakistan captain Imran Khan

Since his international debut in 2008, Virat Kohli has not only evolved as one of the finest strikers of the cricket all, but also one of the successful Indian skippers. He has earned numerous accolades in his career so far and he definitely has a long way to go.

Meanwhile, one of his unabashed fans, Indian head coach Ravi Shastri, has compared him to cult cricketing figures like Sir Vivian Richards and the iconic former Pakistan captain Imran Khan.

“The closest I have seen to the great man. Virat is in your face; he wants to dominate and has a work ethic like no one else. Whether it comes to discipline, training, sacrifice or self-denial, it is unbelievable.

“I think India is lucky to have a leader of that sort. He reminds me of Imran Khan in many ways - in the way he sets the example and sets the standards, and goes about defining it in his own way and leading from the front,” Shastri said.

However, Shastri is confident that Kohli will evolve further as a captain.

“As far as I am concerned, tactically, there is still room for plenty of improvement as captain. He has gotten better and better, and better, and I thought in the Australian Test series, tactically he outsmarted Australia.

“I still see more room across formats for him to evolve. As a captain, Virat will evolve further,” said Shastri.