Vikram Rathour reveals the biggest quality of Virat Kohli
Team India batting coach Vikram Rathour was all praise for Virat Kohli, calling him the best batsman in international cricket. The 52-year-old highlighted Virat Kohli’s biggest quality, hailing the Indian skipper’s ability to adapt to situations.
In an exclusive interview with The Times of India, Vikram Rathour opened up on what sets the dynamic batsman apart from others.
“Virat is, of course, the best in the world. His records speak for him. The kind of talent and consistency he's shown is there for all of us to see. His work ethics are second to none. But for me, the biggest quality I've seen in Virat, and I've said it before too, is his adaptability. In that aspect, he's unique. He is someone who can effortlessly shift gears and change his game depending on the situation and that is his biggest quality,” Rathour explained.
The batting coach backed his take with an insightful example from 2016, revealing how Virat Kohli adapted his game in a matter of weeks.
Rathour discussed how Virat Kohli seamlessly altered his game to suit the format he was playing in 2016.
“In 2016, when he scored those four hundreds in the IPL, he hit some 40-odd sixes and had a strike rate of 150-plus. I joined the team, as a selector, after that IPL and we were playing the West Indies in Tests. Now this guy, who'd just come from the IPL having scored 900-plus runs, goes into the first Test and scored a double hundred without hitting a single ball in the air,” Rathour shared.
Virat Kohli is a complete package: Vikram Rathour
Widely regarded as the best batsmen in the game, Virat Kohli is the only one to be in the top 5 ICC rankings across all three formats.
Expanding further on what makes Virat Kohli a unique entity in world cricket, Vikram Rathour feels the 32-year-old’s ability to be an all-round batsman is what sets him apart from others.
“We have so many players today, internationally, who have strengths and certain areas in which they're at the top of their game. Some take stress well, some have a good defence, some can be explosive at will. Virat is a combination of all these elements and that, I think, is his biggest strength. He's a complete package,” Rathour pointed out.
Known for being a masterful chaser, Virat Kohli has adapted his game to suit his team’s needs in recent years.
From letting go of his number three slot to accommodating others to putting team objectives above personal glory, Vikram Rathour hailed Virat Kohli’s match awareness while batting in the middle.
“It's not about whether he can hit a six, of course, he can hit a six. But does the team or the situation require that now, or does it require him to stay out there in the middle and man the ship? Virat's the kind of guy who can change those gears better than anyone else in the game today. That's what makes him who he is. I haven't seen anybody who can do it the way Virat does it,” Rathour concluded.
Virat Kohli will next be in action when India take on New Zealand in the World Test Championship Final on June 18 at Southampton.