Brian Lara has lavished praise on Virat Kohli, crediting him for changing the face of cricket as he pointed out dedication and discipline of the Indian maestro.
Kohli is widely regarded as one of the finest batters to have played the game and he produced a record-breaking show with the bat at the recent ODI World Cup where he finished as the leading run-getter which got him player-of-the-tournament award.
During the ODI showpiece, Kohli also became the first batter in history to record 50 centuries in the format as he surpassed the previous record of 49 hundreds set by the great Sachin Tendulkar.
Lara said if he has to give an example of a player’s commitment and dedication to his son if ever he decides to take up any sport, it will be that of Kohli.
“I have a son and I can tell you that if my son has to play any sport, I will be using Kohli’s commitment and dedication to not just add to his strength, but whatever it takes to become a Number one sportsman,” Lara was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Kohli scored over 700 runs across 11 innings during the world cup but India finished as the runners-up after losing to Australia in the title clash.
“This World Cup was a joy to watch. First of all, for Virat Kohli… I know a lot of people will say or have already said that it (Kohli’s performance) does not matter as India did not win the World Cup,” Lara said.
“Team sport is about winning and you, as an individual player, have to have that as your No.1 target. But a subsidiary of team success is individual success, and that is what Kohli has given India match after match throughout the World Cup. Now, that did not impress me because the man is capable of much more. (But) what impresses me most about Kohli is his true legacy… For, he has changed the face of cricket and how you prepare for the game. The discipline that he has stands out, always,” he added.
Kohli has taken a break from limited-overs cricket and will be back in action during India’s red-ball leg of the South Africa tour later this month.
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