Amazing to see Virat Kohli transform into worldâs best batsman, says Paddy Upton
BCCI
Paddy Upton heaped praise on India skipper Virat Kohli as he said that he is happy to see the Delhi batsman convert his potential into results in the route to becoming the number one batsman in the world. Upton also spoke about the variations in batting styles between Kohli and MS Dhoni.
Paddy Upton, along with Gary Kirsten, helped India make their way to the ICC ODI World Cup title in 2011 after taking charge of the team in 2008. Upton served as a former mental health and conditioning coach of the Indian cricket team and saw current India captain Virat Kohli rise to become the number one batsman in international cricket across all formats.
The South African is of the opinion that while there have been many talented batsmen to have played for India, what makes Virat different is his drive and the ability to convert potential into results.
âWe definitely saw the potential (in 2011) but there is a lot of potential in India and across the world. Like Kohli, many other cricketers had the potential but itâs just amazing to watch how he has translated his potential to effectively being the number one batsman in the world,â Upton told IANS in a recent interview.
Upton, who is the current coach of Rajasthan Royals, also spoke about the variation in batting styles of former World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni and Kohli.
âWell in terms of mental approach to batting, one of the similarities is that both of them stay very focused on their job at hand. They understand exactly how to pace the innings to get to the point where they can take the team across the line. Both of them have very different ways of pacing the innings. Kohli gets to the run rate (required) and literally stays at the run rate from over number one and he accelerates whenever he feels the time is behind.
âDhoni, on the other hand, starts slowly and times the acceleration perfectly. Both of them are equally effective in seeing the team to victory in their unique style,â the 50-year-old added.
