He also credited the Indian team support staff for supporting Kohli through his phase of having a lean run with the bat, while applauding the right-handed batter’s mental tenacity.
New Delhi: Former India captain Virat Kohli who is currently busy in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 the star batter has slammed 543 runs in eight matches so far, Kohli is India’s highest and third-highest overall run-getter in the tournament, and will be looking to be the leading run-scorer during the clash against Netherland which will be India’s last match before semi-final and will be played at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in TamilNadu.
West Indies batting great Viv Richards lavished huge praise on Virat Kohli and also revealed that his mental strength is setting him apart. Kohli has recently crossed the rough patch of his career where he went without a century for nearly three years.
“Virat is a go-getter and what sets him apart is his mental strength. He will have backed himself throughout, and on the occasions in the past in which I have chatted with him and we have discussed things, his mental strength has always been evident.
“That has been key to pushing him through to how he is playing now. Very few players, or people, are built like that,” Richards told the ICC.
“Virat will have been through some tough times before this World Cup and some folks were even brave enough to call for his head.
“There have been a whole host of talented individuals on show but to top them all, you cannot look past Virat Kohli.
“I am a huge fan of Virat, I have been for a long time, and he continues to show why he has to go down as one of the all-time greats, right up there with the likes of the great Sachin.”
“Many people have made comparisons between the two of us over the years, partly because of our shared intensity on the field. I love Virat’s enthusiasm — even if he is fielding at long-on or long-off, when one of his bowlers hits the pad, he is appealing. He is always in the game and I like individuals like that,” said Richards.