It was easy to choose Virat Kohli, he was very good, feels Subramaniam Badrinath
Subramaniam Badrinath has stated that even as a teenager, Virat Kohli was too good to ignore and went on to cite an example of an India A game in which Kohli scored 130-odd runs. Badrinath also added that had Rahul Dravid not been injured, it was difficult for him to get into the Indian side.
Fate works in different ways and an equally talented, if not more, Subramaniam Badrinath’s fate turned its course when the Dilip Vengasarkar-led selection committee picked U-19 winning skipper Virat Kohli ahead of him for the Indian side. The magnificent cricketer that Kohli was, he grabbed the opportunity in both hands to settle a permanent spot in the side, which in turn, resulted in chances for Badrinath becoming far and few in between. However, the Tamil Nadu domestic giant has no qualms about it and stated that Kohli was too good a batsman to be ignored.
“It was easy to pick Kohli. Even in 2008, he was very good. In fact, I remember a match we were playing for India A when I was the captain, and he was in the side. Batting at No. 6, he wasn’t getting runs. So I had a word with our coach, Pravin Amre, and we asked him to open. He got 130-odd runs,” Badrinath said in an Instagram Live session with Sportstar.
After piling on the runs for India A on their tours to Zimbabwe and Kenya, and in the home series against South Africa A in 2007, Badrinath, who was one of the tallest run-makers in the country back then, was called up to the ODI squad for the last three one-dayers against Australia but did not get a game. He made it to the Test squad for Australia's 2008-09 tour of India and made his Test debut in Nagpur more than a year later when Rahul Dravid suffered an injury. Badrinath stated that it was a difficult time for him to have made it to the Indian side.
“Dravid is my idol and my Test debut [against South Africa in 2010] happened because he was injured. Otherwise, it was difficult to get into that side,” the former TN cricketer added.
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