Dubai: Virat Kohli’s adaptability to bat according to the needs of the format is one of the prime qualities which has made him arguably the best batsman in the world, according to Indian team’s batting coach Vikram Rathour.
Giving an example of the Indian captain’s capability to shift gears, Rathour said in an interview with Sportskeeda website: “One of the best example in which I saw was in the 2016 IPL where he scored four hundreds and hit 40 odd sixes. He was going through a great patch of form and after that we had a tour to the West Indies. After playing like that for two months in the IPL, he goes to the West Indies and in the first match he scores a double hundred without hitting a single ball in the air,” he further said. Kohli had scored a phenomenal 973 runs in that IPL season.
“So that kind of change to bring into your batting because you are playing a different format, not many cricketers can do that. With Virat Kohli, I think he can play the way he wants to play. He can play according to different situations and that I think is his biggest strength,” said the former Indian opener, who replaced Sanjay Bangar as the batting coach after India’s semi-final exit in 2019 ICC World Cup.
Speaking about Kohli’s much-talked about commitment to the game, Rathour said: “For me, the best thing about (Virat) Kohli is his commitment to the game. He wants to be the best player in the world and he works hard for that. He puts in the hard yards and he is the hardest working cricketer that I have seen.
“He is not a one dimensional player, he can change his game as and when required. He plays every format differently and that has been one of his greatest strengths,” Rathour added.
Kohli, who was all set to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore in the new season of the Indian Premier League this year till it was postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic, has given enough indication of his pursuit of fitness - alongwith other members of the Indian team - on social media. The last international commitment - the Test series against New Zealand in February this year - did not go well for him at all and he will surely be looking to make amends when the sport resumes.
