Virat Kohli inspires Team India to go forward, says Adam Gilchrist

Former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist believes that Virat Kohli is the new nucleus of the Indian national cricket team. The 27-year-old captivating batsman who performed brilliantly in the recently concluded Asia Cup and ICC World T20 2016 has successfully marked his authority in the current Indian batting line-up.

Kohli who was adjusted as the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the ICC T20 World Cup 2016, almost single-handedly turned around Team India’s fortune in the competition. His 37-ball 55 against Pakistan, 51-ball 82 against Australia and 47-ball 89 against West Indies have been etched on the memories of the cricket aficionados for years to come.

In a recent interview given to CNN-IBN, Adam Gilchrist said, “Virat is so impressive. He has learnt leadership in front of our eyes. When he is in charge, he is very keen to fight fire with fire. I feel he is inspiring a nation and the team to go forward.”

When asked about his opinion on whether Kohli should replace Dhoni in all three formats of cricket, Gilchrist replied, “It is not for me to speculate. MSD said after the World T20 that he would be playing for a quite a while.”

“He has been an amazing leader and contributor to Indian cricket. He can go on for long as he wants and Virat has at least 10 more years for cricket left in him. So he has got plenty of time (to captain India),” he added.

Teams getting angry on field shows respect they have for each other: Gilchrist

While talking about the Indo-Australian rivalry in cricket, Gilly told CNN-IBN, “The high level of intensity has continued from the time I played. It might not seem like that on the field but it is primarily down to the level of respect, respect in how very, very decent your opponents are.”

“Off the field, yes there have been incidents of various individuals over the years and some of them were inappropriate. But the players and teams learn from that hopefully.”

The former explosive Aussie opener added, “Overall the relationship (between the players of India and Australia) has been very, very strong, thanks to the IPL. But when you see two teams going hard at each other on the field, getting angry with each other, it is because they fear each other in a cricketing sense and that to me is a lot of respect for your opponent.”

The 44-year-old former wicketkeeper-batsman is currently serving as Australia’s Education Ambassador to India. Talking about his recent experience in the new role, Gilchrist said, “We probably take playing outdoors for granted back home. We are born and bred on playing outdoors.”

“I see a lot of effort in India in making sports a way of life. Certainly on the professional side with leagues coming up in different sports. I am sure it will have a knock-on effect on the grassroots.”