Kohli: “My personality reflects the new India” in cricket.

Virat Kohli: The “New India” Makes its Way in Australia

In a tone that evokes the Australian spirit, Virat Kohli has rejected the label of being the “most un-Australian Australian”. Instead, he prefers to define himself as a representative of the “new India”, a team that “stands up” to any challenge. The reception Kohli has received on this tour of Australia has been unprecedented. Former Test players, media, and television channels have focused on Kohli and the impact his absence will have on the three Test matches he will not play.

Kohli is the most Australian non-Australian cricketer of all time.

Greg Chappell

Kohli, however, feels comfortable being himself. “Firstly, I would like to say that I have always been myself,” Kohli stated. “The way my personality and character is, I think it’s a representation of the new India. And that’s how I see it. It’s not a comparison in my mind with the Australian mindset or anything like that.” “For me, it’s about how we’ve started to stand out as the Indian cricket team. And my personality has always been like this since day one. This is for me a representation of the new India, where we want to face challenges and move forward with optimism and positivity, and make sure we are prepared for any challenge that comes our way.” Kohli acknowledged that Australia, as a country, welcomes those who succeed on its soil. “I have been touring this place for many years, and it is a wonderful place to play cricket,” Kohli said. “When you perform well here, you earn the respect of the public. Obviously, there will be anticipation and conversations about the desire to see you play. Similar to Jasprit Bumrah. The last time he performed very well here. Obviously, there will be anticipation and excitement to see him bowl. Similar to me, I have been coming here for many years.”

“For us, the most important thing is that the general public wants to see India perform as a team, which was the highlight of our last tour. Our focus remains on that. All external things are not under our control. That’s great for the publicity of the series, but the real and simple focus remains on how well we can perform as a team here.” Knowing the Indian team, the others will be happy to go unnoticed and let Kohli hog all the attention. That’s what happens to the man who will take the reins of the team when Kohli leaves. Ajinkya Rahane has a completely different personality to Kohli, but the India captain promised similar intensity once he’s gone. “We’ve had a lot of understanding and mutual respect over the years,” Kohli said of his vice-captain. “We’ve had great partnerships batting together, based on trust and understanding of what’s needed for the team. Jinks has done a tremendous job in the two practice matches. He seems very composed and knows our team’s strengths and how we should approach things.” “Actually, the way we’ve played our cricket has been a collective effort of the entire team. It’s a cultural effort and not just me strategizing and putting things in front of people. The whole team has been involved. They already know the template we play with and how we want to do things. We are absolutely on the same page.” “I’m sure he’ll also do a tremendous job in my absence, but the focus remains on the time he’s here to provide captaincy and leadership and performances as a player in the best way possible, and from there I’m pretty sure Jinks will do a tremendous job. I’ve said before that I feel this is his moment to really step up and perform strongly as an individual and also as a captain.”