"No amount of praise is enough for Virat Kohli the batsman and captain" - Parthiv Patel
Parthiv Patel has lauded Virat Kohli's batsmanship and captaincy in the series-deciding final T20I against England.
The Indian skipper top-scored with an unbeaten 80 to help the hosts post a massive score of 224/2 on the board. He then handled his bowling resources effectively as Team India walked home winners by 36 runs.
During a post-match discussion on Star Sports, Parthiv Patel spoke highly of Virat Kohli's batting and captaincy.
"No amount of praise is enough for Virat Kohli the batsman and captain. He did an amazing job as a captain today. He brought the main bowlers whenever wickets were required and changed the course of the game," said Patel.
While praising Virat Kohli's knock, the former Indian wicket-keeper pointed out that the other batsmen deserve equal credit for taking the attack to the England bowlers and letting him play the anchor's role.
"He was in good form, had scored two consecutive half-centuries although he did get out early in the last match. But here we need to praise the other batsmen as well along with Virat Kohli because they allowed Virat Kohli to play his own game. The shots he played, if there was power from one side, he showed the silken touch at the other end," added Patel.
Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya played blazing knocks to provide the much-needed thrust to the Indian innings. Virat Kohli also joined the party towards the latter stages of his innings, with the Indian captain and Pandya adding 81 runs in less than seven overs.
"Rohit Sharma has a different style of playing and Virat Kohli has his own" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra highlighted Virat Kohli was trying to play outside his comfort zone at the start of the series, which led to his downfall.
"Everyone has their own template. What works for you, may not work for the other player. Rohit Sharma has a different style of playing and Virat Kohli has his own. I was slightly surprised when in the pre-tournament press conference he said that they will be playing a different brand of cricket. We saw in the first match that he tried to hit more and got dismissed for a duck while playing a big shot against Adil Rashid," said Chopra.
The former opener concluded by stating that the form and style of play exhibited by Virat Kohli after the first match would have pleased all Indian fans.
"Then he understood this will not work out. He scored three half-centuries. He starts slowly but after that he doesn't only change the gear, he changes the game itself. He has been absolutely outstanding and this is the Kohli we were all waiting for," signed off Chopra.
Virat Kohli was the highest run-getter in the series across the two teams, with his 231 runs coming at an average of 115.50. He was also named the player of the series for his consistent performances.