Virat Kohli is a “credit” to the game of cricket, Vivian Richards said on Thursday, lauding his ability to emerge unscathed from the most difficult situations thanks to his incredible mental strength.
Kohli, who cracked a world record-equalling 49th century on Sunday, went without a hundred for nearly three years. He even took a break to recharge his batteries before coming back to slam his maiden T20I ton against Afghanistan in last year’s Asia Cup.
“Virat is a go-getter and what sets him apart is his mental strength. He will have backed himself throughout, and on the occasions in the past in which I have chatted with him and we have discussed things, his mental strength has always been evident.
“That has been key to pushing him through to how he is playing now. Very few players, or people, are built like that,” Richards told the ICC.
Going on to say he’s a “huge fan of Virat”, the West Indies legend added: “I have been (a fan) for a long time, and he continues to show why he has to go down as one of the all-time greats, right up there with the likes of the great Sachin.
“There have been a whole host of talented individuals on show but to top them all, you cannot look past Virat Kohli.”
