Ricky Ponting on Virat Kohli before WTC against Australia.
WTC (Australia), Given that he has a WTC final coming up next month and that he must play in multiple formats over the course of a year, Virat Kohli has made it quite clear that he would not alter his approach to become a slam-bang hitter for the IPL. This was a bold comment coming from a man who has frequently—and often unfairly—been attacked for his strike rate in T20 matches. That’s Kohli for you, though. Always self-assured and prepared to put out fires with fire. It certainly helped that he hit a magnificent century against Sunrisers Hyderabad to push Royal Challengers Bangalore closer to securing a playoff spot.
Ricky Ponting warns Australia
Perhaps the last of the bunch, Kohli is capable of playing in all forms and winning matches without significantly compromising his batting principles. The all-format batter is rapidly dwindling due to the distinct demands of T20s, ODIs, and Test matches.
Take the best Indian cricketers as an example. After a challenging four-match Test series against Australia, they quickly moved to T20 style in an entirely new franchise setting for the IPL. They will have to make that mental and mechanical adjustment once more on June 7 when they play Australia, but this time there will be a greater reward at stake. Not to mention the challenges presented by performing at a neutral site like The Oval.
Virat Kohli gets a 100 against
Players like Virat Kohli stand out in this category. The majority of the time, they are able to make those adjustments and prevail. If this is still not sufficient evidence, the chat between former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and Kohli ought to be. During one of the league games in the IPL this year, Ponting, who is presently the coach of the Delhi Capitals, discussed a chat he had with Kohli a few days earlier.
Ponting on Virat Kohli
“I caught up with Virat about a month ago when we played them in Bangalore,” said Ponting. “And I had a good chat with him about his batting, where he was at, and his career. And he said to me then that he actually feels like he’s almost back to his absolute best.
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