Virat Kohli Is A Classical Batter With Beautiful Technique, Says Former South African Star Hashim Amla

Virat Kohli is a living legend in international cricket and is the only player to score a half-century of centuries in ODIs.

New Delhi: Former South African cricketer Hashim Amla cited Virat Kohli’s example while elaborating cricketing techniques which form the base for batting in international cricket. Having made his debut in 2008, Kohli has gradually became a living legend in modern-day cricket and is one of the most consistent cricketers in the world in the past decade. The former India captain is currently playing in the IPL and will next be seen in the T20 World Cup 2024 in USA and West Indies.

Amla, a stalwart in South African cricket, lauded Kohli’s hunger for runs and his ability to maintain classical batting techniques even in the fast-paced format. “I think a perfect example of (technique) not going out of cricket is someone like Virat,” said Amla on 180 Not Out Podcast.

“He’s a classical batsman with beautiful technique and has a deep desire and hunger for runs. You see him churning it out in one day cricket. In the world cup he had an amazing form and played exceptionally well. I don’t think any of the classicalness has been taken out,” added the South African, who retired from cricket in 2019. “In ODIs, I opened the batting and played no. 3 in Test cricket.

“I would say, there was still a great importance on technique because you face new balls. Coming to T20, there is, unfortunately, you tend to lose your classical techniques after a certain time that you have batted looking for more power, looking to hit across the line, or open the blade to squeeze the ball over point or something like that,” he added.

The podcast series was also graced by Kohli’s former Indian teammates Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina. Both had their say about the modern day cricket and some quick runs fest currently being seen in the ongoing IPL 2024. “You see you’ve got two new balls, there’s nothing for a finger spinner. There is no reverse swing. You’ve got five fielders inside. Flat wickets, small grounds.

“You’ve got to give something to the bowlers as well. What is a good sport? What is cricket? Why would people like to come and watch cricket if there’s no contest between the bat and the ball,” said Gambhir. “If there’s no contest between the bat and the ball, might as well just put a bowling machine there and tell the batters to hit it out of the ground. If you want to have a competition, prepare wickets that has something for the new ball bowler or the spinners as well,” he added.

Raina spoke about the fearless approach being employed by players such as Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh and Glenn Maxwell. “Everyone wants to play some 360 shots. We have never done that. We were old school players, our coaches were also like this, and we wanted to play for a longer time for my country. But you look at Maxwell, Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Surya Kumar Yadav. Cricket is changing, there is a sense of fearless approach,” said Raina.