Virat's maturity and depth of knowledge about his game

[Number]

Got this image from a Pakistani journos twitter account.

Along with talent one of the most important quality one should have to be successful is being able to analyses their own strengths and weaknesses.

That quote - "when you take your form and sport for granted, bad patches follow and that makes you work for every single run" Epic

 

[sourab10forever]

Most runs-hungry batsmen I have seen.

Edited May 15, 2016 by sourab10forever

[MechEng]

Bhaaiii kya player hain !

[MCcricket]

To me he is the best batsmen to come out of India n his consistency is unmatched, I rank him above Tendulkar, Lara, Richards for sheer number of runs , contribution towards teams win, rarely fails or gets beaten

 

Virat is the greatest batsmen that I have seen till date, no if or but, he already is the greatest ODI cricketer n will soon get there in Test where he is good but not great yet

[New guy]

29 minutes ago, MCcricket said:

To me he is the best batsmen to come out of India n his consistency is unmatched, I rank him above Tendulkar, Lara, Richards for sheer number of runs , contribution towards teams win, rarely fails or gets beaten

 

Virat is the greatest batsmen that I have seen till date, no if or but, he already is the greatest ODI cricketer n will soon get there in Test where he is good but not great yet

Then you have not seen Sachin's consistency during his peak period. And as soon as someone new comes you will then start worshiping him instead of Kohli. Sachin gained his fan following after becoming consistent for over 10 years. And of course you are speaking of LOIs only

 

Best player you have seen only if your watching is limited to last 10-12 years

Edited May 17, 2016 by New guy

[kosingh]

Virat, you didn't hit Southee for six every ball of the first over because that would be disrespecting the sport?

 

What an odd thing to say. Or think. 

 

But whatever. I've become a huge Virat fan in the last few years. I've never seen a batsman play like he has been playing in this period. Can't wait for the test matches to come around.  I have a feeling we're going to see something special in the upcoming test season.

 

 

[MCcricket]

I have known n followed Sachin n Kambli from their school days n Shards Ashram n Shivaji Park exploits, Virat has already surpassed Tendulkar as far as rate of scoring hundreds n average n match winning knocks, also Virat has played the game long enough to be judged n compared over a period of time, I have been saying this for a while .

 

Also I rate Dravid as good if not better then Tendulkar in Test, look at Tendulkar 2 nd inning Average n match changing knock in test n u won't find much, Dravid has done it more times then him.

 

Virat is the best package till date, brilliant fielder, aggressive captain n player, unmatched in Ltd formats n getting there in Test also what is Scarry is he is getting better n not reached his peak

[express bowling]

Kohli's will to win matches for his country, whatever the cost, is greater than any other Indian player I have seen. 

 

His consistency in ODIs and T20Is is as good as anybody.

[New guy]

5 hours ago, Viper said:

We all saw his selfish 100's famous one in 2012 which cost us match against Minnows..

 

Kohli > Sachin anyday 

 

Sachin was never able to win matches on his own like Virat does..  

 

Virat scored at a lower strike rate that Sachin in the same match, LMAO. And that shows what a low IQ troll you are if you really think Sachin did not win many, many matches on his own in LOIs

[New guy]

7 hours ago, MCcricket said:

I have known n followed Sachin n Kambli from their school days n Shards Ashram n Shivaji Park exploits, Virat has already surpassed Tendulkar as far as rate of scoring hundreds n average n match winning knocks, also Virat has played the game long enough to be judged n compared over a period of time, I have been saying this for a while .

 

Also I rate Dravid as good if not better then Tendulkar in Test, look at Tendulkar 2 nd inning Average n match changing knock in test n u won't find much, Dravid has done it more times then him.

 

Virat is the best package till date, brilliant fielder, aggressive captain n player, unmatched in Ltd formats n getting there in Test also what is Scarry is he is getting better n not reached his peak

How? Can you bring numbers of Sachin's rate of scoring 100s in LOIs once he started coming up the order? And match winning knocks? Or are you just spouting garbage because you feel like it because you have a short term memory? You have been saying this for a while? So that must be true I guess?

 

Sachin has milestones like the first ever series win against Aus outside India (coca cola Sharjah cup) and first ever ODI series win in Australia (CB cup). Some home wins by Virat does not surpass that yet. In fact what Virat is doing today is exactly what made Sachin a household name in the 90s, standing up when others fail, being the backbone of the team and winning lots of LOIs

 

Dravid's main advantage over Sachin in match winning knocks in tests was one single tour to the West Indies which Sachin skipped. But still Dravid has NOT done it much more than Sachin in tests

 

I am a huge fan of Virat. However I firmly believe you do not need to put down one player to big another. People who do that will be the first one to abandon Virat as well as soon as a new player comes on the horizon

 

 

Edited May 18, 2016 by New guy

[rkt.india]

7 hours ago, kosingh said:

Virat, you didn't hit Southee for six every ball of the first over because that would be disrespecting the sport?

 

 

i was thinking the same thing. How it is disrespect to the game. It is the demand of T20. If you can hit, hit. When you dont hit even if you can then you are playing for yourself and not the team.

[Lannister]

Sometimes I feel like his method for T20s is too conservative. I agree with the other formats, but T20 is a different game as it's all about the strike-rate rather than averages. He should have more trust in his teammates and go for big shots from the start itself. 

Edited May 18, 2016 by Lannister

[sourab10forever]

1 hour ago, Lannister said:

Sometimes I feel like his method for T20s is too conservative. I agree with the other formats, but T20 is a different game as it's all about the strike-rate rather than averages. He should have more trust in his teammates and go for big shots from the start itself. 

His strike rate isn't bed either. This IPL his SR is 148+

That's terrific for a top order batsmen. 

Career SR of 135+.

Edited May 18, 2016 by sourab10forever

[rkt.india]

14 minutes ago, sourab10forever said:

His strike rate isn't bed either. This IPL his SR is 148+

That's terrific for a top order batsmen. 

Career SR of 135+.

yes, he makes up for slow start in later stages, but it puts onus to play quickly from the start on others. Likes of Rahul has batted quicker than him multiple times at the start of their innings. Same with ABDV. If those guys too batted like Kohli, team would have been in bigger trouble.

Edited May 18, 2016 by rkt.india

[sourab10forever]

11 minutes ago, rkt.india said:

yes, he makes up for slow start in later stages, but it puts onus to play quickly from the start on others. Likes of Rahul has batted quicker than him multiple times at the start of their innings. Same with ABDV. If those guys too batted like Kohli, team would have been in bigger trouble.

Maybe that's the plan. With Gayle,AB,Watson,Rahul and Sarfaraz/Baby ..kohli has to be the anchor. No other option.

Edited May 18, 2016 by sourab10forever

[Lannister]

58 minutes ago, sourab10forever said:

His strike rate isn't bed either. This IPL his SR is 148+

That's terrific for a top order batsmen. 

Career SR of 135+.

His batting in powerplays is not upto the mark, hence RCB often ended up with 15-20 runs short during first half of the season. We can see a slight change in his approach in the later half. 

[New guy]

7 hours ago, sourab10forever said:

His strike rate isn't bed either. This IPL his SR is 148+

That's terrific for a top order batsmen. 

Career SR of 135+.

3rd highest strike rate in the top run scorers after AB and Warner. And just 1-2 lesser than Warner

[express bowling]

8 hours ago, rkt.india said:

yes, he makes up for slow start in later stages, but it puts onus to play quickly from the start on others. Likes of Rahul has batted quicker than him multiple times at the start of their innings. Same with ABDV. If those guys too batted like Kohli, team would have been in bigger trouble.

Kohli bats at a good SR right from the start in T20Is. Whereas in the IPL he starts slowly. I wonder whether it is a deliberate plan by the team management to play as the anchor for the first 10 overs while the others hit  !

 

The plan is not a good one though and should be changed. Kohli needs to up his SR in the first 6 overs in IPL matches. In case he gets dismissed after 25 balls the team will be in a lot of pressure.

Edited May 18, 2016 by express bowling

[sourab10forever]

26 minutes ago, Viper said:

Full of lies just like the selfish one.. He didn't have lower strike rate than sachin.. Consider getting eyes checked ? 

 

http://www.espncricinfo.com/asia-cup-2012/engine/current/match/535797.html

 

All he ever cared was about his 100's 

 

Virat single handily wins matches unlike Sachin  He is really over rated 

 

Virat is way better  infact the BEST

Consider getting your brains checked?

[MCcricket]

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Dhruv Munjal     |  New Delhi 
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Virat Kohli: Better than Sachin?
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By the time India's pivotal ICC World T20 game against Pakistan at Kolkata's Eden Gardens ended exactly a week ago, Virat Kohli had single-handedly taken his team home. He culled out 55 beautiful runs, as he drove, flicked and cut with practised ease.

At one stage of the match, India's chances looked slim with three of its top-order batsmen back in the pavilion. Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina had been consumed off consecutive balls by the furious pace of Mohammad Sami. The Pakistani pacers, led by the crafty Mohammad Amir, looked eager to avenge their defeat at the Asia Cup in Dhaka on February 27. The exit door for the Indian team had been well and truly unlatched. This was destined to end in calamity. Then, Kohli, like great men do in moments of crisis, took charge.

After reaching his half-century, Kohli languidly raised his bat, walked up to Mahendra Singh Dhoni for a gentle embrace, and, almost belatedly, bowed down to someone in the crowd. Some 100 metres away, Sachin Tendulkar stood up in the aisles, furiously waving the Tricolour, his joy encapsulated in an incandescent smile.

This was Kohli's veneration for his master: the man who had inspired him to pick up a cricket bat in the first place, the man he had grown up watching. Just that now, he was exactly like him, or, dare it be suggested, maybe a shade better while chasing down daunting totals?

Somewhere in the middle of the Indian chase at Eden Gardens, the inevitability of a Kohli masterclass had become apparent; an unwavering certitude that comes with very few players.

The same faith that has won India innumerable limited-overs matches in the last few years, the same conviction that slayed a hapless Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup. Coming in with nothing on the board, Kohli blazed his way to a 148-ball 183, helping his team chase down an improbable 330. Against Sri Lanka at Ranchi in 2014, Kohli scored 139 after India had lost four wickets for a little more than a hundred in pursuit of the islanders' 286. His dogged 49 on a lively track against Pakistan in Dhaka last month was another confirmation of his genius.

For most, Tendulkar is a sacrosanct, almost untouchable figure; a player whose greatness transcended generations, whose achievements with the bat many feel will forever remain impregnable. It may well turn out to be that way. But Kohli, at least for now, threatens to throw that into disarray.

Syed Kirmani, India's 1983 World Cup-winning wicket-keeper, says Tendulkar and Kohli are from two different eras and there comparison in terms of impact wouldn't be fair but acknowledges that "Kohli is well on his way to getting there".

The 1990s saw the emergence of Tendulkar as India's greatest match-winner. He was so often India's sole warrior, separating his side from victory and defeat. But Tendulkar's most valiant attempts often ended in despairing defeat. Some of his finest knocks - the 143 against Shane Warne and Australia on that mystical Sharjah evening of 1998, the back-spasm-defying 136 in the Test match against Pakistan at Chepauk the following year, the whirlwind 175 against Australia in Hyderabad in 2008 - all ended in narrow losses for India.

The 1990s also gave rise to the dopey myth that India seldom won when Tendulkar scored big. Even as the cynics fervidly stuck to this theory, the pragmatists dismissed it as twaddle. In a lot of ways, that's what it was. In the 234 ODI games that Tendulkar won while playing for India, he scored 33 centuries and 59 half-centuries: stellar numbers.

Kohli's ODI numbers are, quite frankly, absurd. The 27-year-old is the fastest to 7,000 runs, bettering the mark set by Tendulkar by 28 innings. He has 15 hundreds in chases (out of his 25), as compared to Tendulkar's 17 (total: 49). The caveat is that Kohli's 15 have come in 91 outings, while Tendulkar took 232 matches to get his 17 tons. But then bats have got bigger, the grounds tinier and the game has tilted in favour of the batsman more than ever before.

India's 1983 World Cup-winning captain, Kapil Dev, earlier this week described Kohli as someone who is better than Vivian Richards, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara and Tendulkar. "The more I look at him, the more I'm convinced that he's the best out there," he said.

Nayan Mongia, another former Indian wicket-keeper, refuses to draw comparisons between the two, but says that Kohli is as good as any match-winner India has seen in the last two decades. "When it comes to winning matches, he is up there with the best," says Mongia.

In October 2013, Kohli scored two blistering centuries that first spawned his comparison with Tendulkar. Against Australia, Kohli struck 100 in 52 balls - the fastest hundred by an Indian in ODI cricket - at Jaipur, followed by 115 in Nagpur exactly two weeks later. India chased down scores in excess of 350 in both the games.

For this generation, these two knocks were the equivalent of what Tendulkar had done at Sharjah 15 years earlier. The same grace, power and poise: qualities that when put into full effect give captains and bowlers sleepless nights.

Even Kohli's bat, as Harsha Bhogle pointed out, was identical to Tendulkar's - sporting the same sticker. Kohli had arrived, and how. This was the shooting of the first scene of the making of a modern-day legend. An entire movie was to follow.

Pradeep Sangwan spent almost his entire childhood playing with Kohli. The two first became teammates while playing for the Delhi under-15 team. Sangwan has seen Kohli go from precocious talent to world-beater from close quarters. "You look at him, do you see any weaknesses? I don't. There just aren't any," he says.

Last summer, just before the World Cup, Kohli struggled against the moving ball outside his off-stump, a weakness that was brutally exposed by the likes of Mitchell Johnson and Steven Finn. "That was a problem. But he corrected that very quickly. There is no sign of that now," says Sangwan. "That's what makes him so good."

Kohli fears no one. Tendulkar struggled appallingly against James Anderson late in his career.

Another former cricketer, who agrees to speak on the condition of anonymity, says that no discernible shortcoming is what makes Kohli better than Tendulkar. "Tendulkar struggled against a particular type of bowler or opposition. You could get at him. With Kohli, he treats everybody with the same disdain. And, his self-belief is incredible."

Self-belief, which makes him withstand the pressure in crunch situations, is something ingrained deep in Kohli's persona; the "don't worry, I will get you home" kind of stuff. "He has always liked a challenge. More important, he wants to overcome that challenge. That's where he gets this self-belief from," says Rajkumar Sharma, Kohli's childhood coach.

Tendulkar, smothered by the weight of expectation, often crumbled in key situations. Two World Cup finals - 2003 and 2011 - are prime examples. In both the games, India was chasing sizeable totals and Tendulkar imploded. But then, Kohli, at this stage of his career, isn't bound by the kind of pressure that Tendulkar was subject to for maybe far too long.

Another former cricketer, on the condition of anonymity, says that Kohli's ability to manipulate the opposition and his chanceless style of batting is what sets him apart. "Once he's in, he's in. He just doesn't give you a chance. And, you can't say that about too many batsmen," he says.

True. Even AB de Villiers and Steven Smith, two of the most prolific run-scorers in the game today, always offer bowlers a window of opportunity. With Kohli, that is seldom the case; such is the assuredness that accompanies him.

Kohli's exploits on the field have helped rich returns off it. The Indian Test captain currently endorses 13 brands, including Pepsi, MRF, Audi and Tissot. His bat deal with MRF is the most lucrative among all his teammates. Comparisons with Tendulkar here too are obvious.

Kohli is quite the antithesis of his idol. Tendulkar was always grounded, soft-spoken - a piece of pre-liberalisation conservatism. Kohli, who breathes fire and hurls abuses at the opposition, unfriendly crowds included, is the new India: in your face, unapologetic and result-oriented.

Varun Gupta, managing director (India), American Appraisal, the company that every year evaluates the Indian Premier League as a brand, says that Kohli may surpass his idol in terms of pure dollar value but Tendulkar will forever remain a brand pioneer. "It's fair to say that there is more money in cricket today than 15 years ago. Since they are from different eras, Kohli may actually end up making more, but Tendulkar will forever be the ultimate benchmark," he says.

Brand expert Harish Bijoor describes Tendulkar as "brand ambassador emeritus". "Kohli, with his image of an aggressive and brash young man, can attract big brands. But competing with Tendulkar on that front is asking for maybe too much," says Bijoor.

Gupta adds that what makes Kohli so appealing is his visibility: "He comes out to bat early and stays in for long periods. Moreover, he plays all three formats."

A genius that cuts across all three formats -perhaps that's what illustrates Kohli's greatness. Twenty years ago, Tendulkar did not have to grapple with the prospect of playing three entirely different formats of cricket in a matter of days. He did not have to face the new ball on a green top in a Test match followed by the daunting task of scoring at 10 runs an over in a T20 game three days later. Kohli is faced with that very proposition every once in a while, and the results are spellbinding.

"Kohli can score against any team in any format. He is the embodiment of the modern-day batsman," says Mongia.

Tendulkar played just one T20 international. Given his penchant for decimating bowling attacks, you sometimes wish T20 cricket was introduced 10 years earlier than it actually was - when Tendulkar was at his absolute peak. He would have been the ideal fit. Maybe, God gave us Kohli to make up for that.

For someone who averages an eye-popping 52.50 in T20 internationals (in excess of 80 while chasing), Kohli is far from the swashbuckling, ball-crushing batsman that this format perennially craves. He isn't the greatest innovator either. He is just an all-round batting monster whose last shot is hit with the same earnestness as his first, the beauty in each stroke startlingly palpable.

As a complete batsman, Tendulkar had few peers; he was an immortal among mortals, someone who rewrote record books with the same easy flourish with which he wielded his willow. His numbers may forever prove to be insurmountable. But once in a while, a young man challenges the old guard, throwing down the gauntlet and then thwarting it himself.Virat Kohli is that man. And he is just 27.