Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 28 (IANS): Former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop believes the cricketing fraternity will only fully grasp the sheer magnitude of Virat Kohli’s monumental achievements once the Indian batting maestro calls time on his illustrious playing career.
Tearing into the West Indies bowling attack at the Greenfield International Stadium to give India a comfortable eight-wicket victory in the series opener, Kohli breached the 15,000-run mark in ODIs while making an unbeaten 139 on Sunday, while bringing up his 55th ton in the format – his third-fastest overall. He now stands as only the second player in history to cross 15,000 men’s ODI runs after the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
“You have to love what you do to evolve as he has done over such a long period of time. I think this puts him in a rarefied atmosphere, given that he has achieved 15,000 runs in 74 fewer innings than the great Sachin Tendulkar, whom I hold in high regard, having played against him.
“Where his legacy will end, he certainly has to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, batter in this format of the game. I mean, this is extraordinary. A lot of these fans watching on television and here on the ground appreciate it, but I don’t think we will fully appreciate it until some time after he concludes his playing days,” Bishop said on JioHotstar.
Bishop, the acclaimed commentator, was particularly left in awe of Kohli’s unmatched consistency and his legendary prowess in acing run-chases. “Virat is different in that respect, the appetite that he has for runs, his calculation of how to chase a total, I think that is unsurpassed in this game.
“Virat has a sense of occasion that he may not confess to, but again, that’s his evolution. I still can’t believe 15,000… I know Sachin got there, but that’s a heck of a lot of runs. So, if I had flowers right now, I’d give them to him because he certainly deserves his flowers,” he added.
Calling on the younger generation of cricketers to draw inspiration from Kohli’s work ethics, Bishop urged players across all disciplines to step outside their comfort zones and constantly refine their skills, regardless of age or experience.
“It’s something that we’re all very aware of, because I have grown tired of hearing players say, ‘This is the way I play,’ and people outside the game saying, ‘When you reach a certain age, you can’t learn new tricks.’
“If I were to take one thing away from what Virat Kohli has been doing over the years, it’s that he’s saying it’s never too late to evolve his attacking game, to adapt to how T20 or white-ball cricket has moved, to develop his power game and hit the number of sixes that he has done here at his age.
“It shows that where there is a will, many times, if you’re smart enough, you will find a way. And if any cricketer can take anything away from this, that is what I want them to remember: don’t stay in your comfort zone. Batter, bowler, fielder, captain, get out of your comfort zone,” he concluded.
