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“You never write him off”: Ricky Ponting on Virat Kohli chasing Sachin Tendulkar’s record

Published

10 months ago

March 2, 2025

Virat Kohli (Photo: ANI) © Provided by Asian News International (ANI)

Dubai [UAE], March 2 (ANI): Virat Kohli‘s remarkable career continues to scale new heights as he approaches his 300th ODI, and with it, another significant milestone. His unbeaten century against Pakistan in Dubai not only reinforced his dominance but also propelled him to No. 5 in the ICC ODI rankings. More significantly, it made him just the third player in history to cross 14,000 runs in ODIs.

Kohli has already surpassed Ricky Ponting in the all-time ODI run charts and now stands just 149 runs away from overtaking Kumar Sangakkara(14,234 runs) for the second spot. However, the ultimate peak–Sachin Tendulkar‘s 18,426 runs–remains a daunting challenge. Kohli is still 4,341 runs behind the Indian legend, raising the question: can he surpass the Master Blaster?

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who himself once held the second position on the all-time run list, weighed in on Kohli’s pursuit of greatness.

“It’s crazy when you think about it, isn’t it? Just how good Virat’s been over such a long period of time, yet he’s still 4000 runs behind Sachin. I mean, it just goes to show how good Sachin was, but also his longevity in the game, how long Sachin played for and how long you’re able to maintain such high levels for as an individual player,” Ponting said in a video posted by ICC on Instagram.

Tendulkar’s longevity remains unparalleled. The batting maestro played 463 ODIs and 200 Test matches in a career that spanned over two decades. Kohli, on the other hand, is still going strong, known for his exceptional fitness and hunger for runs. Ponting believes those qualities could push him closer to Tendulkar’s record.

“And that’s the one thing I’ve always judged excellence on, is how long you can maintain it for. And you know, Sachin, 200 test matches and God knows how many won days, must have been over 500 won days, I’d imagine. Incredible longevity, incredible career,” he added.

“With someone like Virat, you never write him off because I’m sure he’d be motivated by that. I think, now that he’s gone past me, I’m sure he wants to give himself the best chance to be remembered as the all-time leading run scorer in the game. So as long as the hunger’s there, you know, obviously, physical-wise, he’s probably as fit as he’s ever been and works exceptionally hard on that side of his game,” Ponting said.

“So if the hunger’s still there, then there’s, you know, I’m never going to write him off,” he noted.

At 36, Kohli still has a few years left in his career. Given his consistency and fitness, surpassing Sangakkara is almost inevitable. However, catching up to Tendulkar will require sustained brilliance over the next few years something only a select few have managed in cricket’s history. (ANI)

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (

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EPL: Full list of players leaving for 2025 AFCON

Published

4 days ago

December 13, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

At least 25 players in the Premier League are set to travel for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The tournament is scheduled to take place from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.

Nigeria, Ivory Coast, DR Congo lead the way in terms of players based in the English topflight, with four selected from each club for the AFCON.

FIFA has directed clubs to release the eligible players from Monday, December 15.

Full list of players confirmed

Sunderland (5):
Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco), Reinildo (Mozambique), Bertrand Traoré (Burkina Faso), Arthur Masuaku (DR Congo), Noah Sadiki (DR Congo).

Manchester United (3):
Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon), Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco).

Fulham (3):
Alex Iwobi (Nigeria), Calvin Bassey (Nigeria), Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria).

Burnley (3):
Axel Tuanzebe (DR Congo), Lyle Foster (South Africa), Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia).

Nottingham Forest (2):
Ibrahim Sangaré (Ivory Coast), Willy Boly (Ivory Coast).

Brentford (2):
Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso), Frank Onyeka (Nigeria).

Manchester City (1):
Omar Marmoush (Egypt),

West Ham United (1):
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (DR Congo)

Wolves (2):
Tawanda Chirewa (Zimbabwe), Emmanuel Agbadou (Ivory Coast).

Brighton & Hove Albion (1):
Carlos Baleba (Cameroon).

Crystal Palace (2):
Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal), Cheick Doucouré (Mali)

Liverpool (1):
Mohammed Salah (Egypt)

SportsNews

NNL bars fans from Ranchers Bees vs Adamawa United

Published

4 days ago

December 13, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

The Nigeria National League, NNL, has announced that matchday six fixture between Ranchers Bees and Adamawa United will be played behind closed doors.

The announcement was made in a statement by the league body.

Only the State Football Association representatives, staff of both teams, kit managers and medical personnel will be allowed into the stadium.

Others are the match officials, security personnel and camera men.

The reason for the decision to play the game without club supporters wasn’t stated by the league body.

The encounter will take place at the Bako Kontagora Stadium in Minna on Saturday (today).

SportsNews

Nigeria vs Egypt Friendly Gets New Date

Published

1 week ago

December 8, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

Nigeria’s preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations have taken a fresh hit, with Egypt confirming that the highly anticipated friendly between both nations has been shifted from 14 to 16 December.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced the adjustment late Friday, noting that FIFA’s updated international release directive, which allows clubs keep African players until 15 December, made the original date unworkable.

EFA Vice President Khaled El-Darandaly explained that the new rule left both Egypt and Nigeria without full squads for the initial date.

Key Pharaohs players, including Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, are now expected to arrive only after the new release window.

Egypt had already named its 28-man provisional squad and opened camp in Cairo, with head coach Hossam Hassan accelerating final preparations for a Group B campaign that includes South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe.

Nigeria’s disruption is more extensive. The Super Eagles were originally scheduled to open camp on 10 December and progress through a streamlined friendly schedule before departing for Morocco. That entire framework has now been dismantled.

Under the revised timeline, camp will open on 14 December, leaving Eric Chelle with barely a week to prepare before AFCON kicks off.

The venue for the friendly is also now uncertain, with Cairo no longer feasible and both federations considering shifting the match to Morocco.

Nigeria’s build-up has been further destabilised by injuries to Ola Aina, Taiwo Awoniyi, Benjamin Fredrick and Felix Agu.

The shock retirement of captain William Troost-Ekong, winner of the 2023 AFCON Player of the Tournament award, creates an additional leadership vacuum in defence.

Chelle, who released a 55-man provisional list, must now trim his squad to 28 within a compressed window. Nigeria will compete in Group C alongside Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania as they chase a fourth continental title.