'Virat Kohli became successful in T20s by staying fit'

In an interview, Gautam Gambhir shares his views on how Virat Kohli turned his T20 career around and also talks about his batting style

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir heaps praise on Virat Kohli when asked what makes him so effective in the shortest format. During an exclusive interview on Star Sports Cricket Connected, Gautam Gambhir said, "He was always a very smart cricketer, but then he turned his entire T20 career into a very successful one, just by being supremely fit. Probably because he does not have the strength of Chris Gayle, he doesn’t have the ability of AB de Villiers, he probably does not have the ability of somebody likes Jacques Kallis or Brian Lara. The biggest strength he’s got is now his fitness and he’s turned that into his game as well, that’s why he has become so successful, so you got to give it to the guy. The most important thing is that he runs really well between the wickets, not many people do it."

Watch: How Virat Kohli keeps himself fit

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Putting in the work shouldn't be a choice, it should be a requirement to get better. #keeppushingyourself

A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) onJan 27, 2020 at 3:35pm PST

Speaking about Virat's batting style, Gautam Gambhir added, "I think in T20 cricket people forget, people do not give enough importance to dot balls. If you play less dot balls you’re always under less pressure, you could rotate the strike and take a single of every ball. The easiest thing to do in cricket is to hit a six or a four, because ultimately, you’re playing that high-risk shot. If it comes off, everyone loves it. If it doesn’t come off, probably you are back in the pavilion. But there are very few cricketers in world cricket at this time who can rotate of every ball and that is what Virat Kohli does really well and that’s why he’s different from the rest. You see Rohit Sharma, probably Rohit Sharma doesn’t have that quality which Virat Kohli has to rotate the strike. Rohit Sharma has the ability to hit those big shots, but that’s where Virat Kohli is more consistent than Rohit Sharma. Chris Gayle or AB de Villiers don’t have that ability to rotate the strike, especially against spin bowling, but Virat Kohli has that, that’s why he averages 50."

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!