Legendary spinner Bishan Singh Bedi has lauded India skipper Virat Kohli for the intensity he brings to the game. Arguably the best batsman in the world at the moment, Kohli makes the headlines for his on-field attitude as much as his extraordinary batting prowess.
And just like many, Bedi too said he does not like everything that Kohli does on the cricket field, but the former India player made it clear he has not seen any Indian player showing Kohli’s of-field intensity.
“I may not agree with some his gestures on the field, but I can’t take away the fact that, the intensity which he shows I haven’t seen in any other Indian cricketer,” said Bedi at the first Delhi and Districts Cricket Administration Conclave.
“In the last 3-4 years, the amount of information I have learned from Virat Kohli is unreal,” said the former Indian captain. “His intensity about cricket and his team, I hope he will continue. And he will mellow, and he will keep alive his personal, professional pride.”
Bedi is not the first cricket legend to have given his views on Kohli’s attitude. Recently, batting legends Adam Gilchrist and Rahul Dravid had put their opinions on the current India skipper.
“If I were on his team, I wouldn’t be identical to him on the field. You have got to do whatever comes naturally to you and what you believe in. It doesn’t mean every player who doesn’t act like Virat questions him,” Gilchrist had told Hindustan Times.
“If it’s a false bravado, at some stage it will let you down. You will get caught because you will be pretending so much that you’ll forget to play the game of cricket,” he had added.
On the other hand, Dravid had said:“Virat sometimes comes across as outrageous, and I cringe on reading his statements before a series.”
Meanwhile, Bedi further advised Kohli, who too was attending the event, to keep his and his team’s integrity intact. The bowling legend went on to suggest the youngsters, who are harbouring hopes of making it to the Indian team, to look up to Kohli to realise their dream.
“That is the keyword, Virat Kohli, ‘Integrity.’ Keep it with you,” advised Bedi. “Your own and your team’s integrity. Think of the millions of cricket followers looking up to you. That is the message I would like to convey to the present generation. To all my young friends playing in the Ranji Trophy and dreaming of a place in the Indian team. Virat is one of you. He is a living example of how to put cricket ahead of yourself.”
Also Read: (Please Focus on the Longer Format of the Game, Virat Kohli Advises Youngsters)
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