Virat Kohli: The Representative of a “New India” in Cricket
In a context of great expectation, Virat Kohli has rejected the label of the “most un-Australian Australian”, preferring to define himself as a symbol of a “new India”. This Indian selection “stands up” to any challenge.
The response to Kohli on this tour of Australia has been unprecedented. Former Test players, newspapers, and television channels have focused their analysis on Kohli and the impact of his absence in the three Test matches he will not play.
Kohli is the most Australian non-Australian cricketer of all time.
Greg Chappell
Kohli, for his part, feels comfortable being himself. “I have always been myself,” Kohli affirmed. “My personality and my character are a representation of the new India. That’s how I see it.”
The player explained that this attitude reflects the way the Indian cricket team has begun to face challenges. “My personality has always been like this from day one. This represents the new India, where we want to take on challenges, move forward with optimism and positivity, and be prepared for any challenge,” he added.
Kohli acknowledged that Australia welcomes those who are successful on its soil. “I’ve been touring this place for many years, and it’s a wonderful place to play cricket,” Kohli commented. “When you perform well here, you earn the respect of the public. There will be anticipation and comments about wanting to see you play. The same goes for Jasprit [Bumrah]. The last time he performed very well here. There will be anticipation and excitement to see him bowl. The same goes for me, I’ve 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. Everything external is not under our control. That’s good for the publicity of the series, but the real and simple focus remains on how well we can perform as a team here,” Kohli concluded.
Those familiar with the Indian team will see the other players happy to go unnoticed and let Kohli take all the attention. This will be the case for 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 leaves.
“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, which are 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 the strengths of our team and how we need to do things.”
The team’s approach has been a collective effort. “Actually, the way we have played our cricket has been a collective effort from the entire team. It’s a cultural effort and not just mine in designing strategies and presenting things to people. It’s the whole team that has been involved. They already know the squad we play with and how we want to do things. We are absolutely on the same page,” he concluded.
“I’m sure he will also do a tremendous job in my absence, but the focus remains until the moment I am here to provide captaincy, leadership, and performances as a player as best as I can, and from then on 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.”
