Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull has made a bold comparison and asserted that Heinrich Klaasen is at the same level as Virat Kohli when it comes to batting in ODIs.

Klaasen has been in incredible form for the Proteas in the last couple of years and became a vital cog in their batting line-up. He also scored a fine half-century against England - 64 runs laced with 11 fours. The wicketkeeper batter has been one of the few overseas batters who can play both spin and pace with equal ease. On the other hand, Kohli has been ruling the 50-over format for over a decade now and now holds the record for most centuries in ODIs - 51.

Doull praised Klaasen, and said he is at par with Kohli at the moment and talked about his ability to play spin and dominate it.

"It's hard to separate him and Virat Kohli at the moment. Some people have Klaasen at 1, some people have Kohli at 1, it doesn't really matter. They can be first equal for mine, because he is just an absolute gem, whether it be spin, I don't think anybody hits the spinners off the backfoot better. He waits for that sort of slow pace and he can hit downtown better than anyone in the world," Doull told Sky Sports.

'South Africa have got the wood as a genuine bowling attack'

Doull, who is commentating on the Champions Trophy, provided his sharp assessment for the upcoming semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand. He analysed that the Proteas have a better bowling attack than New Zealand, which has an issue with their death bowling. Meanwhile, South Africa has been playing consistent cricket across formats in recent times, as they reached the semi-finals of the last 50-over World Cup in 2023 and the final of the T20 World Cup last year and they'll also play the final of World Test Championship this year against Australia.

"So they (South Africa) are a cracking looking side, they bat deep. New Zealand bat deep, and it'll come down; who bowls better? And South Africa just seemed like they've got the wood as a genuine bowling attack. The issue with New Zealand, the one and only issue has been their death bowling. It was quite good against India, but on a flat surface, on a really good batting surface, will it be the same?" he added."So they (South Africa) are a cracking looking side, they bat deep. New Zealand bat deep, and it'll come down; who bowls better? And South Africa just seemed like they've got the wood as a genuine bowling attack. The issue with New Zealand, the one and only issue has been their death bowling. It was quite good against India, but on a flat surface, on a really good batting surface, will it be the same?" he added.