Arun Lal believes Virat Kohli has raised the bar for upcoming cricketers

Former Indian player and popular cricket commentator Arun Lal heaped lavish praise on Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli claiming that the 27-year-old has raised the bar for every cricketer aspiring to be a future legend in the game. Comparing Kohli to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly, Lal said that the right-handed batsmen has already proven himself to be a game changer even though he has many more years of cricket left in him.

"Virat Kohli is the paradigm shift. He has taken the bar, the level up for every budding cricketer. He is a game changer, like Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly," Arun Lal, who was speaking to reporters assembled at the annual awards ceremony of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) in Kolkata.

Lal, who represented India in 16 Tests and 13 ODIs, is on the road back to full recovery after a four-month medical battle following the revelation that he had been diagnosed with jaw cancer. The Chief Guest at the ceremony, Lal, said that it was an honour to be present at the venue and cited the achievements of former American athlete and two-time Olympic champion Charles Paddock as an example of the wonders which awaits those who believe in themselves.

“It is a great honour for me to come here as the Chief Guest,” he said. “Charles Paddock (athlete) was short and people told him he could never win the 100 meters. But he believed in himself, he left his native place, sacked his coach and worked really hard. He went on to win the gold medal in the 100 meters sprint in the Olympics in 1920. His secret was: If you can, you can. My advice to all the youngsters will be to work hard and believe in oneself.”

While the recent ruling by the honourable Supreme Court of India directing the BCCI to implement the recommendations of the Lodha Committee report over the next six months has had its repercussions on the various state associations, including the CAB, which cancelled its 85th Annual General Meeting (AGM) which had been slated for July 31st.

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, who was expected to be renamed as CAB president at the AGM will now have to wait for the confirmation, but Lal gave his full vote of confidence to the 44-year-old claiming that there is none better qualified than Ganguly to lead the administrative affairs of the CAB.

“He (Ganguly) was a great player, he is a great administrator. No one better than him,” Lal said.