ICC T20 World Cup 2016: Cheteshwar Pujara hails compatriot Virat Kohli
Indian test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has heaped praises on his test captain Virat Kohli for his magnificent displays with the bat and attributed tremendous hard work behind Virat’s consistent success. According to a report on DNA, Pujara said that people sometimes fail to see the amount of hard work Virat Kohli puts in the nets and his fitness.
He also said that it might look easy from the outside but Virat’s success is the ultimate result of the remarkable hard work he has been putting in for a number of years and those are reaping benefits now.
Virat Kohli played an exceptional knock of 82 in a do-or-die encounter against Australia in Mohali to guide his team to the semifinal. He played a gem of a knock to bail his team out of trouble and once again reestablished his status as the best ‘chaser’ the game has ever seen.
Australia batting first put up a decent total of 160 on the board and they started well with the ball as they picked three Indian wickets inside the first ten overs. The pitch was also aiding them as it was getting slower and lower as the game was progressing. Amidst such a pressure-cooker situation, the indefatigable Virat Kohli rose to the occasion as he crafted his innings beautifully.
He took the minimal risk and relied on singles and twos to build his innings initially. After that, he changed his gear when it mattered the most as India knocked Australia out of the world cup with a memorable win.
Virat maintains a very good work ethic
According to Pujara, one of Virat’s teammates in the test team and who has seen him from close quarters, said that Virat maintains a very good work ethic, one of the best in the team. He also added that sometimes people get overwhelmed by the success but fail to read between the lines. According to him, gaining success is very difficult and it requires rigorous hard work.
He attributed Virat’s unbelievable consistency in chasing to his tremendous work ethics. Pujara said that Virat is the fittest in the Indian team and his stamina is outstanding. He also hailed Virat’s impeccable match reading abilities as he said that Virat knows pretty well about his shots and which are the bowlers to target.
According to the talented right-hander, Virat is always aware of the game situation and can accelerate when it’s needed. He also credited Virat’s magnificent running between the wickets for his consistent success in the T20 format as Virat is someone who can effortlessly convert a single into a double and that puts a hell lot of pressure on the opposition.
Virat Kohli himself pointed out the importance of running between the wickets after the game and said, “I think what really helped was him (Dhoni) running those twos. The opposition panicked a bit because of that. They were unsettled because they knew we could run the runs as well and get 12 off one over without taking a risk. I think that is when the bowlers started thinking too much.”
Pujara,a traditional test batsman himself, liked the fact that the test skipper has played only cricketing shots so far in the tournament and tried nothing cheeky at all. He said that Virat puts a price tag on his wicket as he relies on proper cricketing shots to reduce the chances of getting out.
Pujara eulogised Virat for his brilliant cricketing acumen and recalled some of the strokes he played against Australia to reiterate the point. He particularly talked about a boundary off a wide yorker which Virat hit during his magical knock against Australia.
India’s Number 3 batsman in test cricket also praised the limited over skipper MS Dhoni for his electrifying running between the wicket and he said the presence of MS Dhoni helped Virat as Dhoni is someone who is quick between the wickets and can hit the big shots to release the pressure.
India will play the semifinal against the West Indies on 31st March at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai as they look forward to lifting the coveted T20 World Cup title for the second time. One thing is for sure, they will need the man once again to rise to the occasion.