Kohli: “My personality is the reflection of the new India” in cricket

Virat Kohli: The ‘New India’ Facing Challenges in Australia

In a tone reminiscent of Australian idiosyncrasy, Virat Kohli has rejected the label of being the “most Australian non-Australian”. Instead, he prefers to define himself as a representative of a “new India”, which faces all challenges with determination. The reception Kohli has received on this tour of Australia has been unprecedented. Former Test players, newspapers, and television channels are only talking about 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. “I have always been myself,” Kohli stated. “My personality and character are a representation of the new India. That’s how I see it. It’s not a comparison to the Australian mentality or anything like that.” “For me, it’s how we’ve started to establish ourselves as the Indian cricket team. My personality has always been like this from day one. This represents the new India, where we want to face challenges and move forward with optimism and positivity, making sure we are prepared for any challenge,” he added. Kohli acknowledged that Australia, as a country, welcomes those who succeed on its soil. “I’ve been touring this place for many years, and it’s 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 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 anticipation and excitement to see him bowl. The same goes for me, I’ve been coming here for many years.”

The priority for the Indian team is for the general public to see India perform as a team, which was the highlight of the last tour. The focus remains on that. Everything external is not under their control. This is good for the publicity of the series, but the true and simple focus remains on how well they can perform as a team here. Knowing the Indian team, the others will be happy to go unnoticed and let Kohli take all the attention. This is also valid for the man who will take the reins of the team when Kohli leaves. Ajinkya Rahane, with a completely different personality from Kohli, promised similar intensity once Kohli 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 the strengths of our team 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, who creates the strategies and presents things to 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.” “I’m sure he’ll do a tremendous job in my absence, but the focus remains, until he’s here, to provide captaincy, leadership, and performance as a player in the best way possible, and from there, I’m 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.”