Virat Kohli Rejects “Most Un-Australian Non-Australian” Tag
The renowned cricket player, Virat Kohli, has rejected the description of being the “most un-Australian non-Australian”. Instead, Kohli prefers to define himself as a representative of a “new India”, which faces all challenges with determination.
The reception Kohli has received during this tour of Australia has been remarkable. Former test players, newspapers, and television stations have focused their attention on Kohli and the impact his absence will have on the matches.
“Kohli is the most Australian non-Australian cricketer of all time”.
Greg Chappell
Kohli feels comfortable being himself. “I have always been myself,” Kohli stated. “My personality and character I think are a representation of the new India. That’s how I see it. It’s not a comparison to the Australian mentality or anything similar.”
“For me, this is how we have started to stand out as the Indian cricket team. My personality has always been like this from day one. This is a representation of the new India, where we want to face challenges and move forward with optimism and positivity, making sure we are ready for any challenge.”
Kohli acknowledged that Australia welcomes those who are successful on their 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 conversation about the desire 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 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 as well. Our focus remains on that. All external things are not under our control. That’s great for the series’ publicity, but the real focus and simply remains on how well we can perform as a team here.”
Knowing how the Indian team is, the others will be happy to go unnoticed and let Kohli take all the attention. That’s true for the man who will take over the team when Kohli leaves. Ajinkya Rahane has a completely different personality than Kohli, but the India captain promised a 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 calm and knows the strengths of our team and how we should do things.”
“Actually, the way we’ve played our cricket has been a collective effort of the whole team. It’s a cultural effort and not just mine, the strategy and putting 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.”
“I’m sure he’ll also do a tremendous job in my absence, but the focus is on the time he’s here to provide captaincy, leadership, and performance as a player in the best way possible, 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.”
