Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Gautam Gambhir lauded Virat Kohli for his stunning knock on the challenging track of Chepauk Stadium against Australia in their opening match in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
Kohli took his time to settle on the trying pitch and avoid playing big shots during his match-winning knock of 85 runs to help India crush Australia by 6 wickets in Chennai on Friday (October 8).
After the Men in Blue got off to a winning start at the CWC 2023, Gambhir suggested the youngsters learn the art of soaking up pressure from Kohli, as he was talking about the importance of reading the game while chasing on such a tough surface in ODI cricket.
He also underscores the importance of absorbing pressure, maintaining self-belief, and focusing on smart cricket rather than just big shots to build a strong foundation for your team.
Gautam Gambhir said on Star Sports: “Well, I think it's just the way you read the game. I think it's very important. First, when you have to chase those big totals, you got to be able to absorb the pressure. You should have this self-belief, you can chase it down from any situation and position and, more importantly, when he does that in one-day cricket, you have got to realise it's not about hitting those big shots.”
The 2011 World Cup winner continued, “It's about running between the wickets. It's about rotating the strike. It's about never putting yourself under pressure. The lesser dot balls you play, the better position you're in, because you know that with these new rules, with five fielders inside and two new balls with any time to accelerate.
But when your team is under pressure, that low risk cricket from there on, if you can continue to build that momentum, continue to build that foundation and that is exactly what he has done. He plays the ball. He was on 70-odd with only 5 boundaries. So, that just shows the ability to play spin and more importantly, the ability to rotate the strike against spin.”
Gambhir also said that the youngsters will definitely learn from Kohli on how to handle and absorb the pressure during such tough situations.
He said, "That is very important and that is why he's so consistent. And I'm sure I think a lot of these young cricketers in the dressing room will learn the importance of fitness, the importance of running between the wicket and the importance of how to rotate strike in the middle as well, because with this new format with T20 cricket, a lot of these new guys want to keep hitting the ball out of the ground."
The former opener signed off by saying, "But that's not gonna be easy. Imagine when you're 2 or 3 down for two. You can't go out there and hit a long ball. You will still need to be able to absorb the pressure and try and rotate those strikes. And I'm sure these young cricketers coming through will learn from Virat Kohli."
(With India Today/PTI Inputs)
