Holding: Kohli not great until he scores runs in England

Johannesburg, January 22: Virat Kohli needs to score runs in England to prove himself as a great batsman, according to Michael Holding.

Kohli is renowned as one of the best batsmen on the planet in all three formats of the game and, though India have already lost the three-Test series with South Africa, the India skipper produced another demonstration of his prowess with the bat.

He scored 153 in the first innings in Centurion, racking up his 21st century in the longest form of the game.

But his only series in England in 2014 saw him struggle significantly. Kohli averaged just 13.4 in 10 innings but will have a chance to make his mark in England again in 2018, with India playing a five-Test series against Joe Root's men.

And former West Indies fast bowler Holding wants to see Kohli deliver the goods on that tour.

"Virat Kohli is a fantastic batsman. I was asked to name three top cricketers and I included Kohli in that list," Holding told the Mumbai Mirror.

"He is a very, very good player. When I see him score runs in England, I would call him a great player. I like people who score runs everywhere. He is an extremely good player.

"The three cricketers I think are the best now are Joe Root, Virat Kohli and Steve Smith. AB de Villiers has just come back into Test cricket and let's see how he does. I don't want to include him yet in that list."

Source: OPTA