Desk report

Ravi Shastri, the head coach of India, recently said that Virat Kohli is absolutely special and compare the batsman to the two cricket legend Viv Richards and Imran Khan.

Shastri, who is Kohli's self-declared biggest fan, said to a prominent online portal that the Indian run-machine is the closest he is seen to the great West Indian Viv Richards.

"Here is a guy (Kohli) who is as dominant as Sir Vivian Richards. The closest I have seen to the great man. Virat has a work ethic like no one else. Whether it comes to discipline, training, sacrifice or self-denial, it is unbelievable," he said.

He further made a compliment by comparing his captaincy (Kohli) to Pakistan's legendary captain Imran Khan.

"I think India is lucky to have a leader of that sort. He reminds me of Imran Khan in many ways and goes about defining it in his own way and leading from the front," the coach added.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli recently writes history by becoming the first Indian player to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the Year, as well as the ICC Men's Test Player of the Year and the ICC ODI Player of the Year awards. The 30-year-old was also named the captain of ICC's Test and ODI teams of 2018.

Kohli scored 1,322 runs at an average of 55.08 in 13 Tests including five centuries during the calendar year while collected 1,202 runs at an excellent average of 133.55 with six centuries in 14 ODIs. He also earned 211 runs in 10 T20Is last year.