It won’t an exaggeration to think that Virat Kohli is more than your average human being given the kind of things he does or has achieved throughout his career. The burning desire to turn up day after day with the same level of energy, fitness and form, amass runs, smash one record after another is a rare quality among even the best of cricketers, and Kohli has done it at an unbelievable rate of success. Those who have played with him, against him, coached him are aware. And those who aren’t, yet, will find out pretty soon.
Cricket as a sport has a very small shelf life. Think of it, the careers of only a few have managed to last over 20 years, with Kohli likely to hit that mark before retiring. Make no mistake, only the fit can go that long, and Kohli is the fittest among the lot. But then again, the very fact that it’s only a small portion of life that an individual can give to cricket, is what fuels the drive in Kohli. R Sridhar, the former India fielding coach continue to be blown away by the near-impossible things Kohli can pull off, so much so that he has declared the Indian batting superstar not from planed earth.
“It’s only a very small part of your life, so what is the point in not giving it your all. That’s what he said recently in an interview. There’s so much for us to pick up from that. It’s unfortunate that not many can try and get inspired by it and use that template in their own personal lives. He is from a different planet. I kept asking him sometimes when I was with the team. ‘Have you had Kryptonite or something?’ He always replied with a smile. ‘Are you from Krypton? You’re surely not from earth?’ Where does this energy comes from and he’ll always smile. It’s unbelievable. What an inspiration,” Sridhar said on Anubhav Talks.
Sridhar has spent seven long years with Kohli as part of the Indian dressing room as the two played a huge role in how far India’s fielding and fitness standards have come. Of the countless traits that make Kohli the giant that he is, Sridhar dwelled on the importance of not challenging him. During IPL 2024, fingers were pointed at Kohli for his low strike-rate in T20 cricket, with the legendary Sunil Gavaskar doubting his approach. And what did Kohli do in reply? He ended the season scoring over 741 runs with five fifties and a hundred. Not that getting questioned is a motivating factor for Kohli, but Sridhar reckons riling up Kohli may not be the best way to keep him quiet if you’re a member of the opposition.
Sridhar’s advice to opposition
“I can go on and on speaking about Virat. He is such a legend; a true modern-day great without any doubt. We saw in the IPL how he batted, fielded, the way he conducted himself, the energy and passion he has brought to the grounds. The way he has infused steel into his own team was amazing to watch,” he added.
“He performs anyway, anytime. But it is a well-documented fact that he performs well especially when he is doubted, has a banter, or someone says something about him. That’s why when you’re sitting in the opposition, all teams say just one thing ‘Please leave him alone. Let him come, let him smash us, no problem. Just don’t pick up an argument with him or needle him. Otherwise he will hammer us to the extend from where we won’t even come back in the game'”.
