Former England fast bowler Steven Finn believes retirement from T20 and Test has helped Virat Kohli Stay fresh for the Indian Premier League (IPL), and like MS Dhoni, he backed the legend to play the tournament even at the age of 40.
Dhoni, 44, was a part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team but could not attend any of their matches due to injury concerns. 37-year-old Kohli is one of the fittest cricketers in the world. On Sunday, May 31, his unbeaten 75 off 42 balls helped Royal Challengers Bangalore successfully defend the IPL title while chasing a target of 156 against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
Kohli said that he gets inspired by seeing the youth performing well. Finn said that the brilliant performance of 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi could have been a source of inspiration for the former India captain.
“Taking a step back from T20 and Test has given him a chance to stay fresh for the IPL. He can play like MS Dhoni for the next five or six years,” Finn said on the For the Love of Cricket YouTube channel.
“It was interesting when he said that young people inspire him and force him to improve. You would imagine that the performance of a youngster like Suryavanshi is influencing a great player like Virat Kohli to watch from the inside. He is like fine wine at the moment and is getting better and better.”
“It felt like the IPL was going to slip away from him” – Stuart Broad on Virat Kohli
Stuart Broad said that Kohli has won many trophies during his career, but the IPL title had eluded him for a long time and everyone was backing him to end this drought. After winning the prestigious championship two years in a row, Kohli earned immense praise from Broad for his fitness and determination.
“He won every trophy throughout his career and eventually won two IPLs. It felt like the IPL was going to slip away from him. It felt like everyone was desperate for him to win, but it felt like he was never going to win. Kohli has never lacked drive, and his fitness levels have impressed an entire generation of Indian cricketers,” Broad said (via the above source).
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