Veteran India keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has lauded ace batter Virat Kohli for his gritty knock in the ongoing second Test against West Indies being played in Trinidad. India is leading the two-Test series by 1-0.
Virat Kohli is playing in his landmark 500th international match for India and Karthik said that it looked as if Kohli was playing in his fifth Test, given the intensity and energy the batter showed.
Dinesh Karthik lauded Kohli’s hunger, as he ended day one on 87* with India on 288/4 at stumps and Ravindra Jadeja on 36*.
"We can all say about the lovely shots that Kohli played, the cover drives, and the pulls. Here is a man playing his 500th match, but he played it like it was his fifth match. That hunger, on a pitch that probably really didn't aid stroke-making, he fought through it. We saw that in the first Test as well, and we are seeing it again now,” said Karthik on Cricbuzz.
He added that while it wasn’t one of the fluent knocks from Kohli, the batter made it count after India was in a bit of bother at 182/4. Before him, Rohit Sharma (80) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (57) had added 139 runs for the first wicket. But Shubman Gill (10) and Ajinkya Rahane’s (8) quick wickets enabled West Indies to come back into the game.
"If you heard Rahul Dravid speak about him, the two things that he said were respect and his sacrifices. You can see that shining through in this innings yet again. Not at his fluent best, for sure, but he made it count. Just making sure that he stood there. Played those tough balls out. Just making sure that he is mentally there, and making it count for Team India,” Karthik added.
On the other hand, Aakash Chopra lauded Virat Kohli and said that he reigns only because of his discipline. He said Kohli’s biggest weapon is his discipline and that is why he was able to score a half-century in his 500th game.
“Virat Kohli became the first batter to score a half-century in his 500th game. When someone plays 500 games, what are the most important things for him? The biggest thing is discipline. This player reigns because of discipline,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
He went on to say that Kohli relies on three Ds, namely determination, dedication, and discipline, to do well in his career.
“We saw the same thing in the innings he is playing now. Absolute determination, dedication, and discipline, he has held on strongly to the 3 Ds. He didn't even open his account in the first 15-18 deliveries. There was no hurry. There is no need to tell anyone that this is his 500th match and that he is an amazing player. He took his time,” Chopra added.
“After that his driving, that is another 'D', which is beautiful. He has been a slightly bottom-handed player right from his childhood and such a player doesn't drive that well through the cover region but his driving makes him extremely special. It is a different style of playing. He has been absolutely stellar. His driving in this match was also sumptuous,” added Chopra.
Together, Kohli and Jadeja have added 106* runs for the fifth wicket.
