Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Shastri on why Kohli is similar to Tendulkar

Last updated on: August 22, 2018 19:07 IST

'We know we will thrash teams at home. There's no chance for opposition if they come to India and if we prepare tracks that suit us. But we want to go outside and win and I think this side can be the best travelling side in the world.'

Virat Kohli

IMAGE: Virat Kohli has so far scored 440 runs with two hundreds in the first three Tests of the five-match series. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Virat Kohli's passion is unmatched and his game sense can only be compared to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, believes India's head coach Ravi Shastri.

Kohli has so far scored 440 runs with two hundreds in three Tests as India made a comeback with a 203-run win in the Trent Bridge game to reduce England's margin to 2-1 in the five-Test series.

 

"He (Kohli) is very passionate about the game. He loves batting. He loves to do the hard yards. His work ethic is second to none and I have not seen any cricketer. I will put Tendulkar in that bracket when it comes to preparation, visualising situations, how he goes about planning, ability to stay in present -- great qualities in any human being," Shastri told Mike Atherton during an interview for Sky Sports.

Shastri said that despite two classic Test match innings 97 and 103 in Nottingham, Kohli will start with a clean slate in the next game.

"I promise you that these two innings, he has forgotten. He will take guard as if he has not got runs in this series," the India coach.

Virat Kohli

IMAGE: Virat Kohli's passion is unmatched and his game sense could only be compared to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, said India coach Ravi Shastri. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

The former all-rounder reiterated that the current fast bowling unit is 'best by a mile' in the history of Indian cricket.

"If you look, the two potently best bowlers for English conditions would have been Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

"We didn't have them at all right through the ODI series (Bumrah had a fractued wrist and Bhuvneshwar is down with a back injury) and also not at the start of the Test series. So we couldn't play as a unit, then we have Ishant, and Shami and we have Umesh in the reserves, who is bowling beautifully. They can come into play anytime."

Terming this as India's most clinical performance since he took over, Shastri said that the aim will be to be the 'best travelling side.'

"We know we will thrash teams at home. There's no chance for opposition if they come to India and if we prepare tracks that suit us. But we want to go outside and win and I think this side can be the best travelling side in the world."

© Copyright 2024 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.