Following India’s comprehensive eight-wicket win against the West Indies, veteran batter Virat Kohli tipped Shubman Gill as the top ODI batter in the world. Former Indian wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik concurred with Virat Kohli, stating that it is a fair statement.

Gill and Kohli played a key role in India’s convincing win against the visitors, chasing down 296 with 50 balls to spare. The Indian skipper scored an impressive knock of 110 runs off 108 balls with the help of 13 fours and one six. This was Gill’s 10th ODI century and he added 151 runs off 132 balls with Virat Kohli for the second wicket to put India in a winning position.

Kohli, on the other hand, scored an unbeaten knock of 139 runs off just 88 balls as he continued to bat with an aggressive approach.

“There’s a reason why he’s leading the team. He’s got the right perspective, as I said, to look at the game in the way that making the team win from different situations. So when you play with a guy like that, it’s not very difficult to string in a partnership, because he knows what needs to be done, I know what needs to be done. You could have a conversation here and there based on your experience in terms of the areas we could probably hit, but he’s the top ODI batter in the world,” Virat Kohli said during the post-match presentation.

“I think it is a fair statement, we all know how talented Shubman Gill is, and how efficient he has been in this format. I think he has not only grown in stature, but people respect him, and now he needs to stand up for himself as the leader. As a batter, I think he is right up there with some of the best in the world. In this format, he has been very consistent, taken on the big moments. For him, the next step is obviously to guide a team,” Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

The second ODI between India and the West Indies will be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, on Wednesday.