Cricket News
‘He is much more than…’ – Gautam Gambhir lauds Virat Kohli on his 34th birthday
‘Kohli has the role of an aggressor in the final ten overs, alongside being an anchor in the starting,’ Gambhir added.
Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian cricketer, is one of the very few who is not very appreciative of the Indian great Virat Kohli. However, on his birthday on November 5, Saturday, Gambhir came up with spasmodic praise while commenting on his knock against Bangladesh in the ongoing 20-20 World Cup 2022 when the batter scored an unbeaten 64.
Gambhir, who took cognizance of the knock, said that the batter became a superhero of India post-Suryakumar Yadav’s departure. Further, the former cricketer said that the batter played the role of an anchor and aggressor simultaneously.
“In this batting lineup, Kohli has the role of an aggressor in the final ten overs, alongside being an anchor in the starting. When you see Babar Azam, it is not necessary that you can call them (other players) an anchor. Virat Kohli is much more than just an anchor. When the conditions are tough in the first 10 overs of the match and India loses wickets like today, Kohli built a partnership by playing second fiddle to KL Rahul. When Rahul was dismissed, he partnered with Suryakumar Yadav and became the main hero after Suryakumar’s dismissal,” Gambhir was quoted as saying.
Kane Williamson and Steve Smith don’t have this: Gambhir
Further, Gambhir compared Kohli to Kane Williamson, Steve Smith and Babar Azam and said that those three do not have the ability to play the anchor and aggressor role at the same time as Kohli does.
“This is something you can only do when you have the ability. Very less players possess this ability to be both an anchor and an aggressor. Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, and Babar Azam don’t have this but Virat Kohli has,” Gambhir said further.
As things stand, Kohli would hope to make an impact in the clash against Zimbabwe on Sunday and it will be a crucial one for India to sail through to the semis. Pakistan, on the other hand, would hope for India’s defeat as they are still in the race and could make it through to the next round if the Men in Blue fail to take home the 2 points.
