Virat Kohli: The Representative of a “New India” in Cricket
In a tone that evokes the Australian style, Virat Kohli has refused to be considered the “most Australian non-Australian”. Instead, the cricketer identifies as a representative of a “new India”, which faces all challenges with determination.
The reception Kohli has received on his visit to Australia has been unprecedented. Former Test players, newspapers, and television stations have focused their conversations on Kohli and the impact of his absence in 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 affirmed. “The way my personality and character are, I think it’s 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 about how we’ve started to excel as an Indian cricket team. And my personality has always been like this from day one. This is for me 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.”
Kohli acknowledged that Australia, as a country, welcomes those who are successful 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 conversations about the desire to see you play. The same goes for Jasprit [Bumrah]. Last time he performed very well here. Obviously, there will be anticipation and excitement around him to see him bowl. The same goes for me, I’ve been coming here for many years.”Virat Kohli tiene varios problemas que abordar antes de la serie de Test. (AFP vía Getty Images)“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. That’s where we are focused. All external things are not under our control. That’s great for the publicity of the series, but the focus is really and simply on how well we can perform as a team here.”
Knowing the Indian team, the others will be happy to go unnoticed and let Kohli hog all the attention. This is true for the man who will take the reins 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,” Kohli said of his vice-captain. “We have had great batting partnerships 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 very serene and knows the strengths of our team and how we have to approach 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 present things to people. It’s the whole team that has joined in. 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 will also do a tremendous job in my absence, but the focus is on the time I’m here to provide the captaincy, leadership, and performances as a player in the best way possible, and from then on 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.”
