RAVI SHASTRI ON VIRAT KOHLI

virat Kohli has revealed that he nearly ate fried cockroaches once during a trip in Malaysia. The star cricketer, who leads the Indian team in the Test side, disclosed the story at an event in a mall in Mumbai where he was promoting his clothing line ‘Wrogn’. Kohli further added that he nearly consumed the cockroaches thinking it to be pickle, until someone warned him of the same. Among some of the other facts revealed by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper are that he once went without sleep for nearly 28 hours, during the interaction at the Inorbit Mall in Malad in which he was answering fan questions.

 Virat Kohli has transformed into a leader of men: Ravi Shastri



Kohli is on a high at the moment as far as cricket is concerned. The Delhi-born cricketer, who emphatically said that he is as committed towards his clothing brand as he is on the field, led the Indian cricket team to a thumping 3-0 victory over top dogs South Africa in the recently-concluded four-Test series on home soil.

The series victory was completed with a massive margin of 337 runs in the final Test in Delhi, ending South Africa’s famed streak of not having lost an overseas tour for nine years. Kohli, who took over the captaincy in the longest format from MS Dhoni after the latter’s sudden Test retirement in December last year, had earlier led India to a historic 2-1 series victory during the tour of Sri Lanka, which was India’s first series win in the neighbouring country in 28 years.

 In an interview to BCCI’s official website, Ravi Shastri also spoke about Virat Kohlihaving become a “leader of men” while praising Ajinkya Rahane amd Shikhar Dhawan for showing a different aspect of their batting skills. Despite crushing South Africa comprehensively in the recent Test series, Team Director Shastri feels that current crop of Indian batsmen need “massive improvement” when it comes to facing spinners on tracks that offer turn.”The problem what we’ve had in the Indian team is that our boys don t play enough domestic cricket, and it is not their fault. The calendar is so packed. So, the footwork and the way they play spin bowling on turning tracks, that aspect needs massive improvement. That will come when you are exposed to these conditions,” Shastri told

“They have played overseas for the last two years and when they came home for this series, the conditions they have grown up in, were suddenly foreign to them. But it was an education,” the former India captain said. He complimented Ajinkya Rahane for adapting well after failing in two of the first three Test matches.

“Look at Ajinkya Rahane. The way he got out in the first Test once defending and once playing an attacking shot. And you saw how he batted in the final Test in Delhi. He was sure in attack and defence, which is the name of the game.” It’s no secret that Shastri is a vocal fan of Virat Kohli’s leadership skills and he was again lavish in his praise for the Indian Test captain.

“December 9, 2014, the young man [Kohli] captained India in a Test match for the first time, in Adelaide. A year later I can say that he is now a leader of men. Virat is everywhere. He is hands on, and very communicative. That’s what you want in a captain. There is trust between the players and the captain, and that is the most important thing.” Shastri also praised the likes of Ishant Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravi Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Umesh Yadav.

“I think he [Ishant] is very close to becoming a complete fast bowler. He knows how to adapt to different conditions and different situations of the game. He knows when to let go and when to hold back. He has pretty much understood his own game. He is technically very good now. There could be room for improvement, but like you said, he has grown in his role, and is our most reliable fast bowler at the moment,” Shastri said.

About Jadeja, the Team Director reckoned that the break away from cricket did him a world of good. “He needed a break. Sometimes when you are playing non-stop international cricket in all formats which was the case with Jadeja you do well one day, get hammered the next, and immediately the spotlight is on you. That eats into you.

When he got a break for three months, when the pressure was totally off him, he got the time to reflect. “He realised why he was sitting there and not in the Indian dressing room and which areas he needed to develop in his game. We had told him clearly,”you are out for a short while, only for you to think on your game. No one is going to come and tell you”.

Opener Dhawan did not get a half-century but his little contributions did have its own impact on the larger context, Shastri reckoned. “I told him [Dhawan] after the match,”You scored 20s and 30s in this series but don’t ever forget that those runs are priceless. They are as important as a 70, 80 or hundred on any other surface. You stalled the new-ball bowlers, kept them at bay and took your side in a solid position”.

Shastri feels that it was a self-realization for Dhawan that he could also play a defensive game. “It was a facet of his game he didn’t know existed. How many people would have thought AB de Villiers would bat for three sessions for 40 runs? For me, the respect for him has gone several notches higher. Shikhar did the same thing. They are similar players both are attacking and they like to dominate.

“But they [Dhawan and De Villiers] sacrificed their instincts for their team, and that shows their strong character. They both would have learned something about their own game from this series,” he added.

©cricketonline.org

written by ~ CHARITHARDHA