Virat Kohli

[evdo1706]

Ha ha wtf

 

[Marshland]

That's why he played like that!

 

[Spook]

It's fine to be competitive, confident and even aggravating at times, but I don't see any need to justify whinging and petulant behaviour. I wouldn't respect that from any player regardless of nationality.

Our Captain for the last few years is in that category, and if you disagree that Ponting is not you are blind.

 

[glenferry23]

sensational innings, just brutal. going be a gun this bloke, will be the anchor of india's middle order for many years to come i think. we'll be seeing a lot more of him

 

[King Elvis]

Long as he can keep of the pies and donuts when the rest of them are gorging themselves

 

[Nuke Fremantle]

Tosser.

A combination of the toolish w***er behaviour of Harbijan and the haughty arrogant born-to-rule mentality of Ganguly. Two cricketers I despise.

As for him being a 'gun' or 'star of the future', he made 1 century and 1 fifty in 8 test innings against the Aussies. That was good enough for him to top the Indian averages so maybe that's why people think he's talented, ie he was the best of a bad bunch. Jury still out there.

 

[aussierulesrules]

I don't think there are too many that "think" he's talented, they know he is (although so does he!). Anyone who's seen him play ODI's for India in the past 12 months will know that, apart from anything else. The other night was certainly no fluke and was his 9th one day international century, which is incredible for someone who is only 23. To put that into perspective, David Warner, our "great young batting hope" is 25, has none and also has a slower strike rate.

He's now started to get it done in test cricket as well and will only get better there, with more experience. He obviously had a slow start to his test series here, but he was playing in Australia for the first time and was relatively new to test cricket, so I think he ought to be cut some slack for that! :

"Kohli revealed that he was feeling the pressure before the second Test in Sydney, but managed to overcome it before the third Test.

“I’d felt the pressure before the second Test, in Sydney... I guess I’d been paying too much attention to what was being written and said... Looking back, that was a distraction... I’d become too desperate to make a mark too quickly. I forgot that I had to be patient, forgot that any Indian cricketer invariably is under plenty of pressure.

I stopped taking note of what was being said and written... I also told myself that I was good enough to be here (with the Test team) and that I had to back myself... That I didn’t have to doubt myself. I made a conscious decision to test my mental toughness, to see how patient I could be... I looked inwards, focused on my game, without losing sleep over external issues." http://www.cricketcountry.com/crick...ten-off-after-just-one-Test-Virat-Kohli/10699

The result of that was getting the 2nd and 4th highest scores (by anyone in either team) in the Perth test (out of the 3 innings) and then a test century (3rd highest score of the match) in the 4th test, when the vastly more experienced ones around him were failing miserably. I dare say he will have learned a lot from all that and will go from strength to strength from here.

I saw some of his ODI batting late last year and was blown away at some of the incredible shots he was hitting. I kept on rewinding them and watching them again (on the Foxtel IQ), as they were just so pure and the timing was amazing. He was hitting "proper" cricket shots that were landing deep into the crowd. His swing of the bat was aesthetically as good to watch as possibly anyone I've ever seen in my 20+ years of watching cricket.

And those boundaries he was hitting the other night against Malinga's yorkers were also phenomenal, especially the ones he was powerfully flicking along the ground through the leg side, from just outside off stump. No slogging, just amazing eye, timing and placement, against someone who is considered pretty much the best going around (in ODI cricket).

If there's anyone else, his age or younger, that has more batting talent than him, I'd certainly like to see them! He's going to be getting under our skin and scoring copious amounts of runs for a long time to come, I expect.

 

[glenferry23]

As for him being a 'gun' or 'star of the future', he made 1 century and 1 fifty in 8 test innings against the Aussies. That was good enough for him to top the Indian averages so maybe that's why people think he's talented, ie he was the best of a bad bunch. Jury still out there.

im guessing you haven't seen much of kohli outside of the recent test series here? i think you might be the only one in that 'jury'....

he's been a gun in ODI cricket the last few years. averages over 47 and already has racked up 9 tonnes at 23 years of age. his test career has just commenced and the signs are promising that he'll score a lot of runs during his test career too

 

[Carbine Chaos]

As for him being a 'gun' or 'star of the future', he made 1 century and 1 fifty in 8 test innings against the Aussies. That was good enough for him to top the Indian averages so maybe that's why people think he's talented, ie he was the best of a bad bunch. Jury still out there.

[YOUTUBE]WrjwaqZfjIY[/YOUTUBE]

See the post above; if you have seen him in any series outside of the Australia one, you'd have already known how talented the kid is.

Will break a lot of records in his time, or at least come mighty close.

 

[legend166]

Why are we basing Test potential entirely on ODI form?

No doubt he's a fantastic ODI player. But to this point he's played 8 test matches and averages 32. Jury is still out at Test level.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Why are we basing Test potential entirely on ODI form?

No doubt he's a fantastic ODI player. But to this point he's played 8 test matches and averages 32. Jury is still out at Test level.

I'm convinced, and I'm willing to put my house on it.

May or may not be a home owner yet.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Me too!

And it's not so much about "ODI form", but simply how bloody good he is with a cricket bat in his hand. He just happened to be playing ODI's, as there were more spots available in that form of the game for India, compared to test cricket, where they had the likes of Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Gambhir, Dhoni and co in front of him. He also has a first class batting average of 50, which is pretty useful.

I'm willing to go out on a limb here and say he's going to go alright in test cricket!

 

[Captain Jack]

A quick comparison with Shaun Marsh might change some minds...

Player Kohli Marsh
Matches 8 7
Average 33 27
100s 1 1
50s 3 1
SR 47 42

Obviously Marsh had a terrible summer, but if we're going to talk about him as long-term no.3 for Australia - especially after he was picked largely based on his contributions to the ODI team despite a middling FC record - we have to give Kohli some credit. I'm a fan, even if he is a douche.

 

[DeadlyAkkuret]

[youtube]WrjwaqZfjIY[/youtube]

See the post above; if you have seen him in any series outside of the Australia one, you'd have already known how talented the kid is.

Will break a lot of records in his time, or at least come mighty close.

In terms of test cricket, the jury most definitely is still out. If he's averaging in the early 30's, he couldn't have done too much even in those series outside of Australia.

I'll admit he's an ODI gun, though. Kid has so much talent, but it remains to be seen if he'll be a gun test player.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

In terms of test cricket, the jury most definitely is still out. If he's averaging in the early 30's, he couldn't have done too much even in those series outside of Australia.

I'll admit he's an ODI gun, though. Kid has so much talent, but it remains to be seen if he'll be a gun test player.

He didn't do much in his first few games but in his last test before the Australia tour he hit 2 50s in the match to earn them a draw in a very tight game.

I watched him in the last dig and his temperament is just a good as his natural ability. Big things ahead for him.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Obviously Marsh had a terrible summer, but if we're going to talk about him as long-term no.3 for Australia - especially after he was picked largely based on his contributions to the ODI team despite a middling FC record - we have to give Kohli some credit. I'm a fan, even if he is a douche.

You don't think the fact Marsh had averaged 59 for each of his last two Sheffield Shield seasons might have had something to do with his selection in the test team? Why does everyone keep going on about what he did 3+ years ago? If we get an injury in the West Indies, Forrest will come in and he certainly hasn't averaged 59 for each of his last two shield seasons. Cowan hasn't either. I don't see anyone going on about what they did 3+ years ago.

Anyone who saw Marsh bat exceptionally well in the tests in Sri Lanka and Sth Africa knows they made the correct choice at the time, cricket wise. It was just unlucky that he got that back injury just when he was at the peak of his powers and looking like making a brilliant start to his test career. The mistake they made was picking him for the Indian series on the back of one (T20) innings in 6 weeks. They wouldn't regret for a second picking him initially, I don't imagine.

 

[Captain Jack]

You don't think the fact Marsh had averaged 59 for each of his last two Sheffield Shield seasons might have had something to do with his selection in the test team? Why does everyone keep going on about what he did 3+ years ago? If we get an injury in the West Indies, Forrest will come in and he certainly hasn't averaged 59 for each of his last two shield seasons. Cowan hasn't either. I don't see anyone going on about what they did 3+ years ago.

Anyone who saw Marsh bat exceptionally well in the tests in Sri Lanka and Sth Africa knows they made the correct choice at the time, cricket wise. It was just unlucky that he got that back injury just when he was at the peak of his powers and looking like making a brilliant start to his test career. The mistake they made was picking him for the Indian series on the back of one (T20) innings in 6 weeks. They wouldn't regret for a second picking him initially, I don't imagine.

I didn't say they regretted picking him... My point is that if you can justify Marsh's selection, which isn't hard to do, then why is everyone so skeptical of Kohli's talent and aptitude for the long form? His FC Record in India was also good, and his innings in Adelaide compares to Marsh in Sri Lanka. Strong case of double standards.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

I didn't say they regretted picking him... My point is that if you can justify Marsh's selection, which isn't hard to do, then why is everyone so skeptical of Kohli's talent and aptitude for the long form? His FC Record in India was also good, and his innings in Adelaide compares to Marsh in Sri Lanka. Strong case of double standards.

To be fair, every batsman in India worth his salt has a good FC record.

Their pitches are an absolute disgrace.

 

[Captain Jack]

Good stuff from Harsha Bogle here http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/555869.html

Kohli has been on the radar for a while, as a player, character and captain. The middle quality, like a middle name, should have been the least conspicuous. Certainly that is the way we have always looked at young players in India. If they strut, put their collar up, wear cool shades, and sport spiked or gelled hair, the eyebrows rise; it influences opinion, defines them. So it was with this brash young kid who could play. Yes, he was brash but everyone who saw him said he could play. You just needed to look at him long enough without letting everything else colour your opinion to know that he could.

The man speaks sense.

To be fair, every batsman in India worth his salt has a good FC record.

Their pitches are an absolute disgrace.

Naturally.

 

[dan warna]

Potential and actualisation of potential...

Finch has potential, at 25 its not being seen.
Kohli is 23, I think he's on schedule.

Clarke was pretty much rubbish to ordinary at that age by comparison.

I don't know why but it seems Australian batsmen are maturing later. We are sorting now seeing batsmen peak 26/27 to 32/33

Kohli I think will be something special if he doesn't lose his head. a guy with 10,000 runs at 50 by the end of his career.

I am rethinking MY assessment of players as well. I suspect for a generation we will have batsmen playing in that age corridor as we are seeing guys who are considered 'young' breaking into the side in their mid 20s.

I guess the attempt to put Smith and hughes in was premature, is it an emotional maturity? do we expect so much more from our cricketers than 30 years ago? has the effect of 20/20 and ODI's damaged our players in the long form?

For me test cricket is the pinnacle, and as good as david hussey is, it saddens me that he hasn't been given a test berth, you saw that with a few players who got categorised as ODI specialists like bevan. I suspect he'd trade his ODI games 5 to 1 for more test opportunities.

I think kohli is going to be a great and play for 10 years.

 

[crowsarethebest]

Potential and actualisation of potential...

Finch has potential, at 25 its not being seen.
Kohli is 23, I think he's on schedule.

Clarke was pretty much rubbish to ordinary at that age by comparison.

I don't know why but it seems Australian batsmen are maturing later. We are sorting now seeing batsmen peak 26/27 to 32/33

Kohli I think will be something special if he doesn't lose his head. a guy with 10,000 runs at 50 by the end of his career.

I am rethinking MY assessment of players as well. I suspect for a generation we will have batsmen playing in that age corridor as we are seeing guys who are considered 'young' breaking into the side in their mid 20s.

I guess the attempt to put Smith and hughes in was premature, is it an emotional maturity? do we expect so much more from our cricketers than 30 years ago? has the effect of 20/20 and ODI's damaged our players in the long form?

For me test cricket is the pinnacle, and as good as david hussey is, it saddens me that he hasn't been given a test berth, you saw that with a few players who got categorised as ODI specialists like bevan. I suspect he'd trade his ODI games 5 to 1 for more test opportunities.

I think kohli is going to be a great and play for 10 years.

Yep. Very impressed with Kohli, has an amazing one day record already and he's only 23.... it's only a matter of time before he impresses in tests. He's got a lot in his locker, just has star quality written all over him. I think he'll get to 10,000 runs in tests as well. He's better than any young batsman we've got. He's certainly got a very in your face attitude, I like it though, for too long young players have been intimidated by Australia, it's refreshing to see someone not back away and step up to the plate for once.

 

[Andrew Mc]

He's certainly got a very in your face attitude, I like it though, for too long young players have been intimidated by Australia, it's refreshing to see someone not back away and step up to the plate for once.

Except at the end of the day he whines to the press about anyone and anything. So really, he's no different to the rest.

 

[hbk_aus]

Our lack of quality young batsmen coming through would have to be a fair concern at the moment. Exactly who are the next 10 year players coming through? Marsh and Forrest are our latest batting debutants and they are both past mid 20's.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Our lack of quality young batsmen coming through would have to be a fair concern at the moment. Exactly who are the next 10 year players coming through? Marsh and Forrest are our latest batting debutants and they are both past mid 20's.

Why do you need 10 year players? A bit of exposure at FC level and debuting at 25+ is fine in terms of filling the Test team with ready players.

But I think we have a few potential 10 year players going around; Maddinson, Mitch Marsh, Handscombe, Lynn if he gets his form back and fielding in order etc.

 

[aussierulesrules]

And I know they're dirty words, but lets not forget Hughes and Smith, who are both still very young.

Both have serious talent, but I think have been managed atrociously so far for Australia. Hughes came in and dominated from the start, but then lost his way a bit and instead of removing him from the pressures of international cricket for a while, to let him sort out his issues, we brought him back into the test team (for the most important series for a long time- The Ashes) at a time when was averaging something like 11, for NSW in the Shield that season. Good idea.

Unsurprisingly, he struggled against them and gradually got worse and worse and lost more and more confidence and belief and ended up leaving the team a shell of the guy who first played for them and virtually a national joke. How To Break A Young Talent 101.

Young ones like that ought to be given a taste of it, when they're at the peak of their form, but as soon as they start to go off the boil they ought to be taken the hell out of there and not brought back until they're on the boil again and there's a spot available. That way, they get the invaluable international experience, but don't lose confidence, which can so quickly happen when things start to unravel at the highest level.

Similar thing with Smith. We realised he had talent and so played him in all 3 forms of the game before he was ready and also apparently picked him in the test team at a time when he was struggling for form, so he was also doomed to fail. Again, he was left in there for so long that he was also largely hated in the community, which would be a hell of a thing to have to deal with at that age.