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Brian Lara (Source: Twitter)
Legendary West Indies cricketer Brian Lara heaped praise on Indian batting stalwart Virat Kohli for his "commitment and dedication" to the sport. The Prince of Port of Spain also lauded Kohli's sensational performances in the recently concluded ODI World Cup, although India failed to win the final against Australia.
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Kohli has been the backbone of the Indian batting unit for over a decade and he has been the same again in the premier 50-over tournament. Accompanied by several records, the 35-year-old finished as the highest run-scorer and won the Player of the Tournament.
Speaking at the Tiger Pataudi Memorial Lecture in Kolkata, Lara said that if his son had to pursue a career in any sport, he would follow Kohli's to become the number one sportsman.
"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 said as quoted by Times of India.
A subsidiary of team success is individual success: Lara
The 54-year-old also mentioned individual success as many thought Kohli's performance was irrelevant as India failed to win the World Cup. "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,” Lara said.
“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," he added.
Kohli's remarkable performance was crucial in India's dominant campaign in the 2023 World Cup. The right-hander accumulated a staggering 765 runs in 11 matches at an impressive average of 95.62. That includes three centuries and four fifty-plus scores. Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's world record of the most number of ODI centuries (50) during the semi-final encounter against New Zealand.
"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 concluded.