In the coming days, Virat Kohli will get a chance to end India’s decade-long ICC title drought when the Asian giants take on Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at The Oval.
Virat Kohli is coming off a bumper IPL 2023 season. The RCB star opener ended the tournament with back-to-back centuries. Although RCB failed to reach the playoffs, Kohli’s form in the IPL was a welcome sign for the Indian fans.
Veteran Australian cricket journalist Gideon Haigh reckons Virat Kohli could be the best player for India in the WTC Final.
Haigh, who is revered all around the world, added that even when playing T20 cricket, Indian Batting Maestro sticks to playing orthodox cricket shots and the batter himself must be in “relief” returning to Test cricket.
Speaking with Revsportz, Gideon Haigh said: “Virat Kohli makes his own rules. Always did. And I also think the purist in Virat rebels from within when he is playing the shortest format. He is so good that he refuses to slog on occasion, and wants to play orthodox cricket shots. That’s why people think that Virat is playing a tad slow at times. But it is his inner self that always prefers the orthodox classical game. And that’s why I think for him, getting back to Test cricket will be a relief. He must be looking forward to The Oval and with the kind of conditions on offer, he can be best player for India. Not that I am saying something new here (laughs)!”
Earlier in the IPL 2023, Virat Kohli himself had attested to his game, stating that with Test cricket to come [WTC 2023 Final], he was keen to play classical cricket shots and not much of the unorthodox ones.
“I’ve never been a guy who tries so many fancy shots, because we have to play 12 months of the year. For me, it’s not [about] playing fancy shots and throwing my wicket away. We’ve got Test cricket after the IPL, so I’ve got to stay true to my technique and find ways to win games for my team, something that I take a lot of pride in, and when I can make an impact in an important game, obviously that gives me confidence, gives the team confidence, and it just helps the team overall, which is something that I look to do,” Kohli had said after his century vs SRH.
