“Why I didn’t have that work ethic when I was his age” - When Yuvraj Singh spoke highly of a young Virat Kohli
Back in April 2012, Yuvraj Singh hailed the work ethic of Virat Kohli, who was growing in stature with his consistent performances. Yuvraj's comments came during his first media conference after receiving treatment for cancer in the USA.
Kohli made his ODI debut in 2008 and became a regular fixture of the side across all formats in 2011. In his only first appearance in the World Cup in 2011, the star batter slammed a hundred against Bangladesh, and contributed with a crucial knock of 35 against Sri Lanka to help India win the title.
Interestingly, his fighting spirit and ability to perform in clutch situations were visible during the Commonwealth Bank Series in February 2012. Kohli slammed a sensational 133* off 86, paving way for the Men in Blue to chase down 321 in less than 37 overs.
Moreover, Virat Kohli was chosen as the vice-captain ahead of Gautam Gambhir in the Asia Cup, held in March 2012. The tournament saw him emerge as the top-scorer with 357 runs in three innings, while India ended as runner-ups.
Yuvraj also gained popularity similar to Kohli during the early 2000s, headlined by his match-winning knock in the 2002 Natwest Series final against England.
On being asked on his advice to Kohli so that he never makes same mistakes by him, Yuvraj said:
"Actually I have learnt a lot from him," Yuvraj said. "His work ethic is brilliant, his focus is immense. Since the time he has joined the Indian team, I saw his work ethic and wished and wondered why I didn't have that work ethic when I was his age." [H/t ESPNcricinfo]
He added:
"When you get success in your 20s, you can get vulnerable and it can affect your focus. So I try and help him with whatever I can... at times you have to keep him in check, under control sometimes."
Yuvraj Singh expressed his optimism of Virat Kohli breaking Sachin Tendulkar's illustrious record
In 2023 ODI World Cup, Virat Kohli displayed terrific consistency to emerge as the finest batter with 765 runs in 11 innings. During the semifinal against New Zealand, Kohli went past Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 hundreds in the 50-over format.
In an interaction with Sports Tak following the game, Yuvraj Singh claimed that Kohli has the ability to break Tendulkar's tally of 100 centuries across all formats. He said:
"At the pace that Virat Kohli is going, he should break Sachin Tendulkar's record of 100 centuries. In ODI cricket especially, I think he can score more hundreds. He has a tremendous conversion rate. 71 fifties and 50 hundreds is not a joke." [H/t India Today]
Currently, Virat Kohli is fourth on the list of highest run-getters across all formats with 26,942 runs in 533 games. He has slammed a total of 80 centuries (29 in Tests, 50 in ODIs and 1 in T20Is).