WTC Final: Virat Kohli has strong desire for himself and the team to succeed, says Richard Hadlee

Virat Kohli is already the most successful India Test skipper and he would now be looking to win his first ICC title as an Indian captain. Under Kohli, India had managed to reach the finals of the 2017 Champions Trophy and semi-final of the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

Former New Zealand all-rounder Richard Hadlee has said Team India skipper Virat Kohli is responsible for ensuring that Indian cricket remains competitive at the international level. India and New Zealand will be locking horns in the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final, slated to begin on June 18 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.

“I see Virat as being a very passionate and competitive cricketer with a strong desire for himself and the team to succeed. He is a proud man and a world-class player – a delight to watch. The pressure and expectations on him to ‘win’ is enormous. There are millions of Indian fans who idolize him which puts great pressure on him. Virat is responsible for ensuring that Indian cricket remains competitive and be one of the best teams in the world,” Hadlee said in an official ICC media release.

“However, fans still need to understand that we are all human and champions will fail from time to time – any cricketer can score a duck or get no wickets which is deemed to be a failure, but when a player succeeds, everyone is happy, except perhaps the opposition,” he added.

Kohli is already the most successful India Test skipper and he would now be looking to win his first ICC title as an Indian captain. Under Kohli, India had managed to reach the finals of the 2017 Champions Trophy and semi-final of the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

“All sports at the highest level, is about competing. It is finding a way to win a game and gain an advantage over one’s opponent. There will always be a fine line as to whether gamesmanship from a player or a team goes too far. Umpires and match referees will control this situation and penalties imposed if anything is unacceptable,” said Hadlee.

“I quite like seeing any player expressing themself towards the opposition by having a real presence – it is a form of intimidation that can be unsettling, and a tactic used by many sportspeople. Having said that, sportsmanship and fair play is still paramount, so it is finding that balance between doing what is right and expected from a player instead of going too far and bringing the game into disrepute,” he added.

Earlier this year, India defeated Australia 2-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against all odds and then Virat Kohli`s team defeated England to cement their place in the finals of WTC.

‘Jasprit Bumrah vulnerable to injuries due to unorthodox action’

Jasprit Bumrah is prone and vulnerable to injuries due to his unorthodox bowling action but India fast bowler`s technique has proved highly effective in helping him catch batsmen off guard, said former New Zealand all-rounder Richard Hadlee.

“Jasprit fits into the unorthodox bowling category with virtually no run up to the crease. His technique, in some ways, defies belief but has proved to be a highly effective one. He is what I call a shoulder or strength bowler with all his power and pace coming from the final part of his action as he releases the ball,” said Hadlee in an interview with the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The Kiwi, a former pace bowler himself, said he is unsure about Bumrah’s longevity in cricket. “Jasprit’s longevity in the game is yet to be determined. I suspect he could be more vulnerable to injury problems than those fast bowlers with more classical and pure actions or techniques.”

Hadlee, who himself was known to have a perfect and smooth bowling action, said that Bumrah`s injuries could be career-threatening but he causes problems to batsmen due to his unconventional action.

“Some of his potential injuries could be severe because of the stresses and strains he places on his body. I hope any injuries he may incur will not be potentially career ending because he is a delight to watch, and he causes batsmen all sorts of problems with his unsuspecting pace, bounce, and ball movement in the air and off the pitch,” added Hadlee.

“It would be very difficult to coach his technique to an aspiring fast bowler and I think a coach would refrain from doing from that because biomechanically it could cause problems with injury. However, I suspect some youngsters may try to imitate him. I believe you let aspiring young fast bowlers do it their way but help to fine tune some the skill sets and finer subtleties of bowling,” he said further.

(with agency inputs)