Sachin Tendulkar has witnessed Virat Kohli’s meteoric rise from very close quarters.
When Kohli made it to the Indian team, Sachin was in the twilight stage of his career, and the former had already become the flag-bearer of India’s next generation when the legendary batsman brought down curtains on his illustrious career.
Compared to the time when he made his debut in 2008, Kohli’s game has changed by miles. From struggling for consistency to becoming one of the best batsmen in the world, Kohli has become the lynchpin of the current Indian batting lineup. But one thing which according to Tendulkar and perhaps one and all has not changed, is Kohli’s aggression.
The aggression was there right from the start, and Tendulkar feels that Kohli’s attitude and aggression have changed his teammates.
“Virat Kohli hasn’t changed much since he got into the team, but people around him have changed. And his attitude has changed only because of his performances and consistency,” said Tendulkar speaking an event in Mumbai.
“I noticed that spark and aggression in him, something which many guys were not fond of to be very honest. And there were many guys who were criticizing him for that. And today that has become the strength of the Indian team,” he added.
“And I think it is extremely crucial for a player to have that freedom to express himself in the middle. And some of these guys need to be given the freedom as long as they don’t cross the line because it brings the best out of them,” said Tendulkar.
Well, one cannot disagree with Tendulkar on this at all. Kohli’s unprecedented feats on the cricket field have taken the world by storm. The India skipper, who is yet to lose a Test and ODI series, recently surpassed the legendary Ricky Ponting to become the second leading centurion in ODIs after scoring his 31st ton in only his 200th game. Considered by many as the best batsman in the world at the moment, the 28-year-old is the number one ODI and T20I batsman.
Tendulkar further said the current team is well-balanced and cited the depth in the team to back his claim.
“I feel that today we have got great balance in the team, with a lot of spinners and seamers that can bat,” noted Tendulkar.
“We saw Bhuneshwar (Kumar) play well yesterday. People like him and Hardik Pandya are going to change the balance of the team when we start travelling,” he added. “I just felt that we were occasionally missing that guy earlier; someone who could come and give some rest to the main bowlers.”