The renowned cricketer, Virat Kohli, has rejected the label of being the “most Australian of non-Australians.” Instead, he prefers to identify as a representative of the “new India,” a team that stands firm in the face of any challenge.
The reception Kohli has received on his tour of Australia has been unprecedented. Former test players, newspapers, and television stations have focused their attention 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, for his part, feels comfortable being himself. “I have always been myself. My personality and my character represent the new India. That’s how I see it. It’s not a comparison with the Australian mentality,” he said.
“For me, it’s about how we’ve started to stand out as the Indian cricket team. My personality has been like this since day one. This represents the new India, where we want to face challenges and move forward with optimism and positivity, making sure we’re ready for any challenge,” added Kohli.
The player acknowledged that Australia, as a country, welcomes those who perform well on its soil. “I’ve been touring this place for many years, and it’s a wonderful place to play cricket. When you perform well here, you earn the respect of the public. Obviously, there will be anticipation and conversations about wanting to see you play. The same goes for Jasprit Bumrah. The last time he was here, he played very well. Obviously, there will be anticipation and excitement to see him bowl. The same goes for me, I’ve been coming here for many years.”
For Kohli, the most important thing is that the general public wants to see India perform as a team, something that was the highlight of their 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.”
The Indian team will be happy to go unnoticed and let Kohli take all the attention. This also applies to the man who will take over the team’s leadership when Kohli leaves. Ajinkya Rahane has a completely different personality from Kohli, but the Indian 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, based on trust and understanding of what the team needs. Jinks has done a tremendous job in the two practice matches. He seems very calm and knows our team’s strengths and how we need to do things.”
“Actually, the way we have played our cricket has been a collective effort of the entire 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 been involved. They already know the template we play with and how we want to do things. We are absolutely on the same page,” Kohli concluded.
“I’m sure he will also do a tremendous job in my absence, but the focus remains, until I am here, to provide captaincy, leadership and performances as a player, as best I can, and from then on, 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.”
