Legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar believes Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli’s ability to judge situations and conditions has paid off handsomely for the Indian team in the recently- concluded Test series between India and South Africa.
Virat Kohli appeared to be the greatest batter from both sides in the second Test match in Cape Town, as he worked hard in tough conditions for India with the bat. In the second session of the day, The 35-year-old stepped out to bat and looked the most at ease on a surface with unpredictable bounce, falling just short of a well-deserved half-century.
During a debate on Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar was asked about Virat Kohli’s performances in the series, The cricketer-turned-commentator believes that the Indian batting maestro looked the most comfortable batsman across both teams and believes that he figured out on playing in tough conditions.
“This was a two-match series, the Test matches lasted four-and-a-half days, which means it was a series that lasted less than a Test match. However, there also Virat Kohli looked the most comfortable batter because Kohli has the special ability to assess the pitch.”
“He figures out how to play and how not to play, when to play shots and when not to play, and because of that when he was batting, especially here (Cape Town), it seemed like it was a different pitch,” Sunil Gavaskar said.
The 35-year-old appeared to be on his way to a century in the second innings of the first Test but. Kohli scored an important 46 runs in the second Test, hitting six boundaries and one six. The former Indian skipper had a disastrous series in South Africa in 2021/22 but turned things around in the two-match series.
It Is Evident When A Player Is Of A Different Class – Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar feels that the other Indian batters were suffering from one end and lacked the technical ability to play the game in difficult conditions, and he praised Virat Kohli for displaying a different class.
“The batters were struggling at the other end. They weren’t able to understand whether to go forward or back and how to play when the ball was bouncing. It didn’t seem like that at all when Virat Kohli was playing. He got out to his first mistake. It is evident when a player is of a different class,” Sunil Gavaskar added.
Earlier, Virat Kohli dominated the One-Day International World Cup scoring 765 runs in 11 innings, including eight half-centuries and six centuries. The Indian batting maestro also became the first player in World Cup history to hit more than 50 ODI runs in a single tournament, indicating that he is a true icon in the modern game of cricket.