Jacques Kallis : The greatest all-rounder of modern era ?

When Jacques Kallis was recently labelled as the greatest all-rounder of modern era, by his former fellow countrymen, Shaun Pollock, few had any scope to disagree. Kallis retired today from Test Cricket, following a 1-0 series win over India, courtesy a brilliant century by the man himself, in his final Test match.
  So what makes Jacques Kallis worthy of such a label. Well, his personal records speak for himself, for a man bowing out of test Cricket with 13289 runs(3rd highest ever), 292 wickets and 200 catches. To add to the runs piled by him, is a staggering 45 Test Centuries, 2nd only to Sachin Tendulkar. Having Kallis in the team, always gave South Africa a 1-man advantage, since he could replicate the job of a top-order batsmen, a regular bowler as well as a smart fielder in the slips cordon. Kallis’s final test in Durban was his 166th Test Match, having also featured in 325 ODIs and 25 T-20 Intls.
  Well the best way to evaluate whether he can be regarded as the best all rounder of modern era would be to compare his records with that of our past great all-rounders. Sir Garfield Sobers records read as follows (8032 runs, 235 wickets, 109 catches in 93 Tests) while that of Sir Ian Botham is(5200 runs, 383 wickets, 120 catches in 102 Tests). We can easily see that the records are quite comparable. None of the present crop of players can be compared to him, not even the likes of a Shane Watson or Angelo Matthews. What makes Kallis stand out most importantly as felt by his team-mates, was his dedication to the game, he was always there when the team needed him, and more than often delivered wonderful results. So much so that he always would shy of the captaincy issue, citing that he felt it might affect his batting and bowling which were of primary importance to him. Indeed Kallis will be missed in his whites, henceforth, but we hope to see him as part of South African team in their quest of the first ICC Cricket World Cup triumph, in 2015. Test Cricket will indeed miss the service of a genuine all-rounder.