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

Virat Kohli: A Leader Who Embodies the “New India”

The renowned cricketer, Virat Kohli, has rejected the label of being the “most Australian non-Australian”, preferring to define himself as a representative of a “new India” that faces all challenges with firmness. The reception that Kohli has had on this tour of Australia has been unprecedented, with multiple sports personalities talking about his impact.

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

Greg Chappell

Kohli, however, feels comfortable being himself. “I have always been myself. My personality and character represent the new India. For me, that’s how I see it. It’s not a comparison to the Australian mentality,” he stated. “It’s how we have started to stand up for ourselves as the Indian cricket team. My personality has been like this from the beginning. This represents the new India, where we want to face challenges and move forward with optimism and positivity.” Kohli acknowledged that Australia welcomes those who are successful on their soil. “I have been touring here for many years, and it’s a wonderful place to play cricket. When you perform well here, you earn the respect of the public. There will be anticipation to see you play. The same goes for Jasprit Bumrah. The last time he performed very well here. There is anticipation and excitement to see him bowl. The same goes for me, I have been coming 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. All external things are not under our control. That’s great for the series’ publicity, but the focus remains on how we can perform as a team here.” Knowing how the Indian team is, the others will be happy to go unnoticed and let Kohli hog all the attention. That’s true for the man who will take over the team when Kohli leaves. Ajinkya Rahane is a completely different personality to 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, 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.” “I’m sure he’ll do a tremendous job in my absence, but the focus remains on the time I’m here to provide captaincy and leadership and performances as a player in the best way possible and, from there, I’m pretty sure Jinks will do a tremendous job. I’ve said before that I feel this is his time to step up and perform strongly as an individual and also as a captain.”