Mumbai: Veteran India allrounder Yuvraj Singh lauded skipper Virat Kohli for his excellence on the cricket field claiming Kohli became a legend at 30 and talked about the talismanic batsman’s journey in the national team.
“Huge difference since 2011. Virat showed some great promise when he came on board. The moment he got the opportunities, he grabbed them. That’s how he took a spot in the World Cup (Indian squad) because he was very young at that time. And it was between him and Rohit,” Yuvraj was quoted as saying to TOI.
“At that time, Virat was scoring runs. That’s the reason, Virat got the spot. And compared to now, there is a complete change in him.” After making his international debut in 2008, Kohli has achieved a lot in his cricketing career.
From experiencing failures to getting the responsibility of leading India, his journey is nothing short of a thrill. Regarded as one of the greatest players of modern-era of cricket over the last decade, Kohli has become the highest international run-scorer among active cricketers. He is the only cricketer to average more than 50 in all three formats.
“At almost 30, he has achieved a lot of things. People become legends when they retire. At 30, he already became a legend. It was really great to watch him grow as a cricketer. Hope he finishes on a high, because he has got a lot of time,” added Yuvraj.
Yuvraj said that he has seen Kohli grow as a cricketer right from his initial days. When Kohli led the India U-19 team to the World Cup triumph in 2008, to his first ODIs against Sri Lanka and was just 22 when he played in the 2011 World Cup.
“I have seen him grow and train in front of me. He was probably the hardest worker, very disciplined with his training. When he was scoring runs, you could see that he is somebody who wants to be the best player in the world. He had that kind of an attitude. He has got that swag,” Yuvraj further added.
Yuvraj further stated that, unlike some players, captaincy did not affect Kohli’s batting skills. In fact, it became better over time. “He was scoring a lot of runs and then became the captain. Sometimes you get bogged down, but when he became captain, his consistency became even better,” he concluded.
