Kolkata: Indian cricket team director Ravi Shastri on Sunday spoke highly of Virat Kohli, saying that his batting makes one stand up and applaud.
India’s batting talisman has been in a rich vein of form of late, scoring a record 865 runs from 13 games during the 9th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Kohli also has four centuries to his credit in the ongoing tournament.
“Virat has hit a purple patch. It’s terrific batting. If he goes on like this, it will only keep on serving Indian cricket and be beneficial to it. The kind of batting on offer from him, he will make you stand up and applaud,” Shastri said at an event here.
Asked who should be roped in as the next coach for the Indian team, the present IPL commentator said: “BCCI is in the process of taking a decision. Once they take a decision, we can then look into it.”
Speaking about the iconic Eden Gardens, which serves as the home ground for IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Shastri said: “Eden is one of the greatest grounds. But it’s the people of Kolkata who make Eden what it is. When I used to come here as a kid, I used to be amazed by the greenery around Eden.”
Shastri found it hard to explain why the east Indian state of West Bengal has not produced a pool of top class cricketers in the post-Sourav Ganguly era despite so much interest for the sport in the region.
Bengal captain and premier batsman Manoj Tiwary went unsold at the Indian Premier League auction, with only two players from the state – Wriddhiman Saha and Ashok Dinda – making the cut.
“Despite so much of interest, I am surprised that Bengal are not producing many top class cricketers,” the former India captain said. “When I used to come here as a kid, I used to be amazed by the greenery around the Eden. There’s so much of space to play cricket (here). Eden Gardens is one of the greatest grounds. But its the people of Kolkata who make Eden what it is,” he said.
According to reports, Shastri is apparently miffed after being portrayed as a ‘womaniser’ in Mohammad Azharuddin’s biopic ‘Azhar’ and he said he had no intention of watching such movies. “I do not have time to watch such movies,” he said.
