"Don't Think Virat Kohli Wants Power Or Leadership. He Just...": Ex-India Star's Blunt Remark

Star batter Virat Kohli in undoubtedly one of the greatest sportspersons in the history of cricket. From being a world-class batter to one of the fittest fielders, Kohli has ticked all the boxes. The 'Run Machine' Kohli is also inching closer to surpass India legend Sachin Tendulkar in the list of most ODI hundreds scored by a batter. Tendulkar had registered 49 ODI centuries in his phenomenal 24-year-old long career and Kohli is just three tons behind from dethroning him. The 34-year-old batter smashed his 47th ton during the Asia Cup Super 4 match against Pakistan.

Apart from their fiery batting performances, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar that picked up certain similarities between Kohli and Tendulkar. 

"The one similarity between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar is that both of them enjoy playing cricket. They want to be on the field. He was not part of the team for the game against Bangladesh but was still on the field. I don't think Virat Kohli wants power or leadership," Manjrekar told journalist Vimal Kumar.

"He just wants to play and it looks like he enjoys being a part of the team. He captained the team for a very long time, so there is no scope for an unfulfilled dream. Being with the team, travelling with players, going to the ground, and being part of winning moments are more important to him than having power," he added. 

Manjrekar further stated that it would be difficult for Kohli to surpass the 'Master Blaster' in the list of most Test centuries as Tendulkar has got 51 while the Royal Challengers Bangalore star is still at 29. 

"Sachin Tendulkar has 51 hundreds, 17 more than what Sunil Gavaskar finished with. For a good player, accumulating runs in ODIs is comparatively easy, as bowlers don't always try to take a wicket. Tendulkar and Kohli are special because they also have a lot of Test hundreds. However, I believe it will be very difficult for Kohli to reach 51 Test centuries," said Manjrekar. 

Talking about Team India, the Rohit Sharma-led side defeated Sri Lanka by 10 wickets and clinched their eighth Asia Cup title on Sunday in Colombo. 

Team India will now take on Australia in the upcoming three-match ODI series, which will kick-start on Friday. This series is the final dress rehearsal for hosts India before the 2023 Cricket World Cup, starting on October 5.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Sri Lanka Cricket Team Australia Cricket Team Sachin Tendulkar Virat Kohli Sanjay Manjrekar India vs Australia, 2023 Cricket