First Sachin, then Kohli. And before that Gavaskar. But the real beauty is that each of the other names from the noted establishment of Indian cricket have real regard for the great Virat Kohli. Without much of a doubt, it could be said that he is not just an outstanding achiever of the game, but someone who has earned plenty of respect from even his contemporary figures from the opposing nations- whether you speak of South Africa, Australia, the West Indies or England.
And in the most recent times, one of the leading names as far as the future generation of England cricket is concerned has offered his humbling insights about the great batter from India.
Appearing on the cricket talk show that features West Indies cricket commentator Nikhil Uttamachandani and former all rounder Carlos Brathwaite, Jacob Bethell, widely regarded as one of the most gifted and naturally talented young batters in the English side, shared his own version of Virat Kohli and his traits that he so admires.
The attacking left handed batter who most recently played a wonderful knock that elevated England’s position in the final one dayer at Lord’s (which the hosts won without much ado), shared that Virat Kohli is pretty much a chilled out and relaxed performer off the field. That’s when one knows that on the field he’s a serious and often, intimidating performer or campaigner.
Here are his exact words:
‘Off the field, he is a very chilled individual – it’s great to spend time with, he was not the captain when I was there but he is a massive leader within the team – he shares unbelievable information during team meetings!’
In the recent years as more and more cricketers have come to share some time and interacted with the great legend that is Virat Kohli, one has realised that he is, besides being a consummate professional, a really relaxed individual.
The fierce competitiveness notwithstanding, Virat Kohli like many other cricketers he has played alongside such as MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, if one could say, likes to take a bit of time off. It sorts of balances off things between the intense and tough turf of the professional game and the easygoing demeanour one should exercise in order to balance the intense arena of the sport at its highest level.
It could be said that it is to his good fortune that Jacob Bethell has a first hand account of experiencing the different shades of the great man as both players are part of the incredible Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the the team that claimed its second IPL crown, most recently.