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

In a tone reminiscent of Australian idiosyncrasy, Virat Kohli has rejected the label of the “most un-Australian Australian”, opting to define himself as a representative of a “new India” that “faces up” to all challenges. The reception Kohli has received on this tour of Australia has been unprecedented, with former test players, newspapers, and television stations speaking exclusively 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

The most revealing comment came from the great test player and former India coach Greg Chappell, who wrote in a column that Kohli is the most Australian non-Australian cricketer of all time. However, Kohli was satisfied being himself.

First of all, I would like to say that I have always been myself. The way my personality and character are, I think it is a representation of the new India. And for me, that’s how I see it. It’s not so much in my mind a comparison to me being similar to the Australian mentality or anything like that. For me, it’s how we have started to defend our Indian cricket team. And my personality has always been like that from day one. This for me is a representation of the new India, where we want to take on challenges and move forward with optimism and positivity and make sure we are prepared for any challenge that comes our way.

Virat Kohli

Kohli acknowledged that Australia, as a country, opens its arms to those who do well on its 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 expectation 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 expectation 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 also the highlight of our last tour. Our focus remains that. All external things are not under our control. That’s great for the publicity of the series, but the real focus and simply remains how well we 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. That’s true for the man who will take charge of the team when Kohli leaves. Ajinkya Rahane has a completely different personality from Kohli, but the India captain promised similar intensity once he leaves.

We have had a lot of understanding and mutual respect over the years. We have had great partnerships batting together, which are based on trust and understanding of what is needed for the team. Jinks has done a tremendous job in the two practice matches. He seems to be very calm and knows the strengths of our team and how we should approach things. Actually, the way we have played our cricket has been a collective effort of the whole team. It is a cultural effort and not just mine to strategize and present things to people. It’s the whole team that has bought into it. They already know the template we play with and how we want to do things. We are absolutely on the same page. I am sure he will also do a tremendous job in my absence, but the focus remains on the time I am here to provide captaincy and leadership and performances as a player as best as I can, and thereafter I am pretty sure Jinks will do a tremendous job. I have already said before that I feel this is his time to step up and perform strongly as an individual and also as a captain.

Virat Kohli