Virat Kohli reminds me of Ricky Ponting, claims Matthew Hayden

The Indian captain has been in a league of his own recently. Kohli has averaged 75.93 in 2016, while in three Test so far this year he has managed to score at an average of 63.75.

“Virat Kohli, he reminds me a lot in his game with that of Ricky Ponting. They are quite similar, passively aggressive. It’s almost like there is a cocoon around their batting crease. Nothing really can penetrate Virat. Early days, I thought he was someone who didn’t have quite that control, but now he has mastered his own thinking," Hayden said at a book launch in Bangalore, reported Wisden India.

"His performances are now so consistent. Even in the last few days (after India lost the first Test against Australia by 333 runs in Pune), he has come to the fore as a leader.

“The other thing that I like about Virat is his commitment to excellence in his physical approach to the game. He will not tolerate mediocrity in any of the three formats. You talk about great professional sides of the planet – in EPL (English Premier League) and Australian Rules (Football) – they are super athletes. 

"As cricketers, we always look to be better products, and that’s one of the non-negotiables that India have now started to build on. No longer is it acceptable to have what we call a Sydney Harbour Bridge over the ball (while fielding). You are now hungry in all three departments, and it has played a big role in India going up in the ICC rankings."

In recent times, Kohli's Aussie counterpart Smith has enjoyed a bit of purple patch himself. The  Aussie captain scored more runs in one innings than the entire Indian team in either innings on a pitch that received a ‘poor’ rating from the match referee. Ashwin, who struggled in the Pune Test, said that it was about time that the Aussie started fulfilling his potential.

Whenever I go out there to the middle I want to get runs and be there for a longer time. Because whenever I bowl nobody gives their wicket away, so why should I give my wicket away?

R Ashwin

“About five-six years ago I had told Steve Rixon, our fielding coach at Chennai Super Kings who is also from New South Wales, that Steven Smith should be in your (Australian) side, and that he is not there means there is something wrong. He agreed. I had seen him in the emerging tour first," Ashwin said.

"The first thing I notice in a cricketer is his game awareness, his plan, and how he makes his runs. To me, he is the most effective and most versatile Test batsman going around by a mile. He is not the strongest physically, but he never goes at less than a strike-rate of 100 in a one-day game.”

Ashwin, too, has been in good nick with the bat as well. Since early 2016, only three batsmen (Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, and Quinton de Kock) have managed to outscore the Indian all-rounder batting at No 6 or lower in Test matches. Ashwin said that as he has grown up he has learned to value his wicket.

“Whenever I go out there to the middle I want to get runs and be there for a longer time. Because whenever I bowl nobody gives their wicket away, so why should I give my wicket away?” Ashwin said. 

“As a batsman, one thing that I have been doing differently since 2016 is playing complete percentage cricket. There have hardly been any risky shots. That is one of the reasons why I have been in some good form. I have (tried to) play 50 balls. Whenever I have thought of playing a release shot, I have just buckled down and played a few more overs before getting to that phase. I have understood the ebbs and flows of the game better. As a youngster, I always thought experience is just a word, but now I certainly believe in it.”