Talking about Virat Kohli’s evolution as a batsman, and as a captain, in 2018-19, Team India head coach Ravi Shastri was all praise for his skipper and said that the feat to win all the ICC awards is something that will be hard to emulate. The Indian skipper recently scripted history by becoming the first player to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the Year, as well as the ICC Men’s Test Player of the Year and the ICC ODI Player of the Year awards. Not just with the bat, Kohli has been dynamic with his captaincy, leading India to their first-ever Test series win on Australian soil followed by ODI Series victory against Australia and New Zealand.
Ravi Shastri made it amply clear in the past that he is arguably Kohli’s biggest fan and the India coach again paid the Indian captain a huge compliment by comparing him to West India great Viv Richards and Pakistan’s legendary captain Imran Khan.
Virat Kohli is currently the unrivalled king of cricket. Calling, Kohli “absolutely special”, Shastri said that the Indian run-machine is the closest he is seen to the great Viv Richards.
“Here is a guy who is as dominant as Sir Vivian Richards. The closest I have seen to the great man. Virat is in your face, he wants to dominate and has a work ethic like no one else. Whether it comes to discipline, training, sacrifice or self-denial, it is unbelievable,” Shastri was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Shastri was also effusive in his praise for Virat Kohli’s captaincy and said it reminded him of Imran Khan.
“I think India is lucky to have a leader of that sort. He reminds me of Imran Khan in many ways – in the way he sets the example and sets the standards, and goes about defining it in his own way and leading from the front,” said Shastri.
“Virat is special, absolutely special, for someone to get runs in dominant fashion in South Africa, in Australia and in England.”
Virat Kohli was also named captain of ICC’s Test and ODI teams of 2018 for a fabulous run in international cricket.
The 30-year-old scored 1,322 runs at an average of 55.08 in 13 Tests with five hundreds during the calendar year while in 14 ODIs he amassed 1,202 runs at an astonishing average of 133.55 with six centuries. He also scored 211 runs in 10 T20Is.
Virat Kohli was rested for the final two ODIs of the five-match series against New Zealand and will not be part of the three-T20 internationals as well.
