Legendary West Indies cricketer Brian
Lara said if his son plays any sport, he will use India batter Virat Kohli as
an example of commitment and dedication.
Virat Kohli had a memorable Cricket
World Cup 2023 at home. Despite not winning the trophy and ending as runners-up
to Australia, Virat’s batting was a delight to the eyes and statisticians alike
as he broke plenty of records.
One of these was Virat becoming the
first-ever batter to hit 50 ODI centuries.
Lauding star India batter Virat Kohli
for his performances in the recently-concluded ICC Cricket World Cup at home,
Lara said, “I have a son and I can tell you that if my son has to play any
sport, I will be using Kohli’s commitment and dedication to not just add to his
strength, but whatever it takes to become a Number one sportsman.”
Lara pointed out that many people will
dismiss Virat’s contribution during the World Cup as Men in Blue failed to lift
the trophy, but the subsidiary of team success is individual success, something
Virat achieved in heaps throughout the tournament.
The legendary WI batter said Virat has
changed the “face of cricket” and how one prepares for a game through his
discipline, a stand-out trait of the batter.
“First of all, for Virat Kohli, I know a
lot of people will say or have already said that Kohli’s performance does not
matter as India did not win the World Cup. Team sport is about winning and you,
as an individual player, have to have that as your No.1 target.
But a subsidiary of team success is
individual success, and this is what Kohli has given India match after match
throughout the World Cup.”
What impresses me most about Kohli is
his true legacy, for he has changed the face of cricket and how you prepare for
the game. The discipline that he has stands out, always,” Lara said at the
Tiger Pataudi Memorial Lecture in Kolkata.
Virat emerged as the leading run-scorer
of the Cricket World Cup 2023. In 11 matches, he scored 765 runs at an average
of 95.62, with three centuries and six fifties. His best score was 117.
Virat scored the most runs in a single
edition of the Cricket World Cup, surpassing Sachin’s tally of 673 runs in the
2003 World Cup. He also surpassed Sachin to register the most fifty-plus scores
in a single World Cup.
In 27 ODIs this year, Virat has scored
1,377 runs at an average of 72.47 and a strike rate of over 99. He has scored
six centuries and eight fifties in 24 innings, with the best score of 166*.
ANI
