KOLKATA: Legendary West Indies cricketer Brian Lara said that if his son plays any sport, he will use India batter Virat Kohli as an example of commitment and dedication. Virat Kohli had a memorable Cricket World Cup 2023 at home. Despite not winning the trophy and ending as runners-up to Australia, Virat’s batting was a delight to the eyes and statisticians alike as he broke plenty of records. One of these was Virat becoming the first-ever batter to hit 50 ODI centuries. Lauding star India batter Virat Kohli for his performances in the recently-concluded ICC Cricket World Cup at home, Lara said, “I have a son and I can tell you that if my son has to play any sport, I will be using Kohli’s commitment and dedication to not just add to his strength, but whatever it takes to become a Number one sportsman”. Lara pointed out that many people will dismiss Virat’s contribution during the World Cup as Men in Blue failed to lift the trophy, but the subsidiary of team success is individual success, something Virat achieved in heaps throughout the tournament. The legendary WI batter said that Virat has changed the “face of cricket” and how one prepares for a game through his discipline, a stand-out trait of the batter. “First of all, for Virat Kohli, I know a lot of people will say or have already said that Kohli’s performance does not matter as India did not win the World Cup. Team sport is about winning and you, as an individual player, have to have that as your No.1 target. But a subsidiary of team success is individual success, and this is what Kohli has given India match after match throughout the World Cup. What impresses me most about Kohli is his true legacy, for he has changed the face of cricket and how you prepare for the game. The discipline that he has stands out, always,” Lara said at the Tiger Pataudi Memorial Lecture in Kolkata. Virat emerged as the leading run-scorer of the Cricket World Cup 2023. In 11 matches, he scored 765 runs at an average of 95.62, with three centuries and six fifties. His best score was 117. Virat scored the most runs in a single edition of the Cricket World Cup, surpassing Sachin’s tally of 673 runs in the 2003 World Cup. He also surpassed Sachin to register the most fifty-plus scores in a single World Cup. In 27 ODIs this year, Virat has scored 1,377 runs at an average of 72.47 and a strike rate of over 99. He has scored six centuries and eight fifties in 24 innings, with the best score of 166*.
“If my son plays a sport, I will be using Virat Kohli’s commitment, dedication….”: Brian Lara
