"Virat Kohli is like a modern-day hero" - Steve WaughÂ
Australian great Steve Waugh believes Indian skipper Virat Kohli is a 'modern-day hero'. The former Australian captain remarked that Indian fans love Kohli because he epitomizes the new attitude of the country, its resilience and spirit.
Steve Waugh's comments were recorded in a press release for his 60-minute documentary titled "Capturing Cricket: Steve Waugh in India".
"What they love about Kohli is that it's like the new attitude of India, get stuck in, don't be intimidated. Take everything on and anything is achievable and possible. But he's like the modern-day hero," said Steve Waugh in the documentary.
Virat Kohli is currently India's captain in all three formats. With over 20,000 international runs to his name at the age of 32, he is already considered one of the game's all-time greats.
Steve Waugh also talked about how he was captivated by witnessing the "celebration" of cricket in India during his first visit to the country.
"Since my first visit to India in 1986, I was always fascinated by how the locals celebrated the sport of cricket," Steve Waugh, who played over 500 internationals to collect more than 17,000 runs, remembered.
Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid's views in Steve Waugh's documentary
Former Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid also feature in the documentary.
Remembering his early days as a fledgling cricketer in Mumbai, Tendulkar said he learned a crucial part of his game, finding gaps, by playing in the crowded local grounds in Mumbai.
"I played all my school cricket on those maidans and it becomes sometimes difficult to figure out who is fielding for which team and then to find gaps became more challenging. We had to be dead sure that this is a single available between point and cover fielder. It just helped you to find gaps. I remember after that when I went to these big stadiums it became easy for me to find gaps," said Tendulkar.
Dravid talked about the talented youth of the country who, according to him, now have the backing of the system to reach new heights.
"The youth of India always had the intelligence, they always had the ability, but now that's been backed up with a system and that's been backed up with opportunity to be able to get the best out of their talent," said Dravid.