India, Nov. 5 -- The King of Indian Cricket, Virat Kohli, turns 37 today. The day presents an opportune moment to evaluate one of cricket's most accomplished careers through empirical comparison. With his Test career concluded, his T20I tenure culminating in a World Cup triumph, and his ODI legacy still evolving, a comprehensive assessment against cricket's most prominent benchmarks -Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, and Brian Lara -becomes both feasible and instructive.

Each of these batters redefined excellence within their respective eras: Tendulkar through unprecedented longevity and technical precision, Ponting through sustained dominance and championship success, and Lara through artistic stroke play and record-breaking volume. Kohl...