Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has stated his strong support for Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli, saying that if he were captain, he would "fight with the team management" to keep Kohli in the squad, despite his recent troubles in Test cricket.
Clarke addressed Kohli's performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and his overall contribution to the Indian squad. Clarke acknowledged Kohli's lack of runs in recent Tests but stressed the batter's enormous potential and influence.
"It's Virat Kohli! This guy can make a double hundred tomorrow. He's that good a player. This guy could play, he should play until he's had enough. If he retires from Test cricket right now, there's only one team losing out, it's India,” Clarke said on the Beyond23 Cricket podcast.
Kohli scored a century in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but struggled to make significant contributions in the subsequent matches, scoring only 190 runs in total in 9 innings. Despite this, Clarke stressed that he would back Kohli without hesitation.
"If I was captain of any team that Virat Kohli was in, even though I know he didn't make as many runs as he would have liked, I'm fighting for him to stay in my team," Clarke said.
There were comparisons drawn between Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar as well. Kohli repeatedly dismissed during the series, nicking balls outside off stump. Fans and experts suggested that he should take inspiration from Sachin who played a brilliant knock of 241* in the 2004 Sydney Test, without playing a cover drive.
However, Clarke pointed out the fundamental differences between the two players.
"Sachin was a different player to Virat Kohli. A lot of people during this Australian summer were saying Sachin did it in a Test match. He got out cover driving a couple of times and then let it go to make a 200 at the SCG. Sachin is a different player to Virat. Virat's greatest strength is the bat on the ball. He just plays it in a different way," Clarke explained.
Clarke's comments underline his conviction in Kohli's long-term ability and significance to the Indian Test team, reaffirming the notion that Kohli's presence on the field is a huge asset, despite a slump in form.
