Virat Kohli’s ability to consistently fulfill expectations impressive, reckons Aaron Finch
Finch heaped praise on Virat Kohli
|Australia’s limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch has expressed his admiration for Virat Kohli and has stated that the Indian skipper’s ability to consistently deliver on expectations is remarkable and impressive. Finch also further believes that it’s consistency that separates the best from the rest.
When Sachin Tendulkar graced the cricket field in Indian colours for one last time at the Wankhede in 2013, 1.2 billion people in the country were certain that there would never be any cricketer of his mould in the future. However, within no time, not only did Virat Kohli emerge and shatter the records set by the Master Blaster, but he also went one step further and conquered Sachin’s kryptonite - the burden of leading the team.
The 31-year-old’s unfathomable consistency and unmatched match-winning ability has seen Indian fans adopt him as the country’s new ‘saviour’ and according to Australian limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch, it’s Kohli’s dumbfounding consistency in living up to the expectations that sets him apart from every other cricketer in the world.
"The pressure of playing for India is one but also leading India is another and the way he (Kohli) has done it, so consistently for a long time. And taking over from (MS) Dhoni, the leadership, that is huge. The expectations were high and he kept delivering and I think that that is the most impressive thing," Finch said on the Sony Ten Pit Stop show, reported TOI.
"What has been so impressive for so long is just his consistency across three formats. To be the best player of all-time in ODI cricket is one thing but then to also be in Test cricket and T20 cricket as a rounded player that is remarkable.”
A world-class limited-overs batsman himself, Finch admitted that it is human nature for batsmen to have a bad series, but pointed out that it was the inhuman ability of players like Sachin, Kohli, Steve Smith and Ponting to never have two bad series in a row that made them all time greats.
"Every player, regardless of who it is, has a bad series. But very very rarely do you see Kohli, (Steve) Smith, even going back (Ricky) Ponting, Sachin (Tendulkar), these guys they don't have two bad series in a row," said Finch.
With the ICC’s new regulations preventing the usage of saliva to shine the ball, Finch conceded that there will be ‘inadvertent mistakes’ from the part of the players and opined that it will take time for the cricketers to get acclimatized to the rule change. The Aussie skipper, however, admitted that the players will have no option but to do away with old habits and adapt to the change.
"I haven't spoken to anyone in England or the West Indies camp on how that's (saliva ban) going to go. But that is something that the players have to adapt to over the next couple of months (or) however long that it lasts. Finding different ways to shine the ball, because I think naturally, just out of instinct or habit, you lick the fingers and you rub the ball.
“So I am sure there will be some inadvertent mistakes. Everyone has to be really flexible and accommodating and understand that things are going to be different to what they were four months ago.”
