Kohli: “My personality represents the new India” in cricket

Virat Kohli Rejects Being Considered the “Most Australian” of Non-Australians

In a tone reminiscent of Australian idiosyncrasy, Virat Kohli has rejected the label of being the “most Australian” of non-Australian players. Instead, the renowned player identifies as a representative of a “new India”, which faces all challenges with firmness. The reception Kohli has received on this tour of Australia has been unprecedented. Former test players, newspapers, and television stations have focused on Kohli and the impact his absence will have on the three test matches in which he will not participate.

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

Greg Chappell

Kohli, for his part, feels comfortable being himself. “Firstly, I would like to say that I have always been myself. The way my personality and character are, I think it’s a representation of the new India. And that’s how I see it. It’s not so much in my mind a comparison to me being similar to the Australian mentality or anything like that,” Kohli stated. “For me, it’s about how we’ve started to excel as the Indian cricket team. And my personality has always been like this from day one. This for me is a representation of the new India, where we want to take on challenges and move forward with optimism and positivity, and make sure we are prepared for any challenge that comes our way,” he added. Kohli acknowledged that Australia, as a country, welcomes those who are successful on their lands. “I have been touring this place for many years, and it is a wonderful place to play cricket. When you perform well here, you earn the respect of the public. Obviously, there will be expectation and conversation around wanting to see you play. The same goes for Jasprit Bumrah. The last time he performed very well here. Obviously, there will be expectation and excitement around him to see him bowl. The same goes for me, I have been coming here for many years,” he explained.

Kohli went on to explain that the team’s main focus is for the general public to want to see India perform as a team, which was the highlight of their last tour. “Everything external is not in 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,” he stated. Knowing the Indian team, the other players will be happy to go unnoticed and let Kohli take all the attention. This is especially true for the man who will take over the team’s leadership when Kohli leaves. Ajinkya Rahane, with a completely different personality from Kohli, has promised similar intensity. “We’ve had a lot of understanding and mutual respect over the years,” Kohli said of his stand-in captain. “We’ve had great partnerships batting together, which are based on trust and understanding of what the team needs. Jinks has done a tremendous job in the two practice matches. He seems very composed and knows our team’s strengths and how we need to do things.” “Actually, the way we’ve played cricket has been a collective effort of the whole team. It’s a cultural effort and not just mine, where I strategize and put things in front of people. It’s the whole team that has joined in. They already know the template with which we play and how we want to do things. We are absolutely on the same page,” he added. “I’m sure he’ll do a tremendous job in my absence, but the focus remains while I’m here to provide captaincy and leadership and performances as a player to the best of my abilities, and from there I’m pretty sure Jinks will do a tremendous job. I’ve already said before that I feel this is his moment to really step up and perform strongly as an individual and also as a captain,” he concluded.