IND vs WI: Virat Kohli is cricketing equivalent of Cristiano Ronaldo, says Brian Lara

West Indies legend Brian Lara heaped praise on Virat Kohli calling the Indian skipper "the cricketing equivalent of Cristiano Ronaldo."

Lara said that while Kohli is not any more talented than the likes of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul but his commitment to the game puts him in another league.

"I think it has got a lot to do with Virat's outstanding commitment besides his preparation. I don't think he is any more talented than a KL Rahul or a Rohit Sharma but his commitment to preparing himself properly stands out. He is, for me, the cricketing equivalent of Cristiano Ronaldo.

His fitness level and his mental strength are unbelievable." For the 50-year-old Lara, who scored nearly 12,000 runs in Test cricket, Kohli can fit into the best teams of any era -- be it Clive Lloyd's 'Unbeatables' of the '70s or Sir Don Bradman's 'Invincibles' of 1948," Lara told PTI.

In the recently ended T20I series between India and West Indies, no batsman scored more runs than Kohli. In three innings, he accumulated as many as 183 runs at an average of 183. Although he got out for just four runs in the first ODI between the two sides, he still is the leading run-scorer in 2019. So far, the Delhi batsman has scored 2,370 runs and is likely to end as the year's top-scorer in international cricket for the fourth consecutive time. The next best in 2019 is his deputy, Rohit, who has scored 2,220 runs having played one match more than Kohli.

"His batting skills are unbelievable. He is a guy you cannot leave out in any era. If a guy is averaging 50 plus in all versions of the game, then that is something, which is unheard of," Lara added.

Kohli's Team India began the three-match ODI series against the Windies with a loss after the tourists chased down India's target of 288 with eight wickets to spare in Chennai on Sunday. The Indian team had even started the T20I series on a losing note before they went on to seal the series 2-1.

The second ODI, which will be played in Visakhapatnam, is scheduled for Wednesday.