'Do today's kids know about his ups and downs?' - Basit Ali lauds Virat Kohli for completing 16 years in international cricket

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali congratulated Virat Kohli on completing 16 years in international cricket. The legendary Indian batter made his international debut on August 18, 2008, in an ODI clash against Sri Lanka in Dambulla.

Ali was effusive in his praise for Kohli as he spoke about the Delhi batter's dedication and hard work during his illustrious career. The cricketer-turned-expert also named iconic cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Younis Khan and Javed Miandad, saying that their hard work enabled them to have long international careers. Ali urged youngsters to not only celebrate Kohli's hall of fame career but instead understand the amount of work he has put in behind the scenes to establish his legacy.

"The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Younis Khan, and Javed Miandad had very long careers, and they spent top-quality time with their hard work. It is very easy to say that Virat Kohli has played for 16 years now. But do today's kids know the ups and downs he has seen? Do they know how early he wakes up to train in the gym on a match day? Similarly, Sachin Tendulkar was so much in love with cricket that he slept with a bat by his side. We have heard such stories but the youngsters haven't implemented these things," Ali said while speaking on his YouTube channel.

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Ali feels that young and talented Indian cricketers like Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Riyan Parag, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are fortunate to be sharing the dressing room with stalwarts like Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He advised the youngsters to pick the brains of the senior pros as much as they can.

"Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Riyan Parag, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are very lucky to be playing with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. If they still don't learn from them, all I can do is give them a salute. They should be constantly asking questions to Kohli and Sharma. Just sit with them and ask them to guide you," Ali stated.

Even if Virat Kohli gets out early, he gives it all in the field: Basit Ali

Ali pointed out the intensity Kohli brings to the field. The 53-year-old said that when the Delhi batter gets out early, he doesn't get bogged down and tries to contribute with his fielding.

"Just look at his dedication and the hard work he puts in. Even if he gets out early, he gives it all in the field. You can feel that Kohli is on the ground just by the noise the crowd makes when the ball goes to him. This is the result of the hard work he has put in for 16 years," Ali said.

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Kohli played in the recent ODI series in Sri Lanka but only managed 58 runs in three innings on spin-friendly tracks. He will look to bounce back strongly during India's two-match Test series at home against Bangladesh, starting next month.