Virat Kohli has been rested for the first two ODIs against Australia.
Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar pointed out that Virat Kohli loves being part of the Indian team and being involved in the game while not seeking any position of power or leadership role anymore.
Virat Kohli was recently seen in the Asia Cup 2023 tournament where he scored his 47th ODI century against Pakistan. He has been rested for the first two ODIs against Australia in the upcoming series which begins on September 22.
Sanjay Manjrekar said the similarity between Kohli and the legendary Sachin Tendulkar is that they both enjoyed playing cricket. He further insisted that Kohli does not want power or leadership within the team.
“The one similarity between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar is that both of them enjoy playing cricket. They want to be on the field. He was not part of the team for the game against Bangladesh but was still on the field. I don't think Virat Kohli wants power or leadership,” said Manjrekar in an interview with Vimal Kumar on his YouTube channel.
Manjrekar added that when it comes to Kohli, there is no scope for an unfulfilled dream as for the former India captain, winning with the team is more important than leadership. Kohli has amassed 13,027 runs in 280 ODIs, 8,676 runs in 111 Tests, and 4,008 runs in 115 T20Is for India.
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“He just wants to play and it looks like he enjoys being a part of the team. He captained the team for a very long time, so there is no scope for an unfulfilled dream. Being with the team, traveling with players, going to the ground, and being part of winning moments are more important to him than having power,” Manjrekar added.
Manjrekar said Tendulkar and Kohli are special because they have a lot of centuries in Tests. But he added that it will be difficult for Kohli to match Tendulkar’s Test century tally. Tendulkar scored 51 centuries in Tests, while Kohli has managed to hit 29 Test hundreds.
“Sachin Tendulkar has 51 hundreds, 17 more than what Sunil Gavaskar finished with. For a good player, accumulating runs in ODIs is comparatively easy, as bowlers don't always try to take a wicket. Tendulkar and Kohli are special because they also have a lot of Test hundreds. However, I believe it will be very difficult for Kohli to reach 51 Test centuries,” said Manjrekar.