Everyone loves Virat Kohli because he speaks his mind: Shane Warne

Former Australian spinner Shane Warne feels the world is becoming increasingly politically correct and it has influenced sportspersons too. And thus he has high regard for India captain Virat Kohli because he thinks the latter speaks out his mind in a time when most are opting for a confirming tone. “Everyone loves Virat Kohli because it’s refreshing to hearing him talk so honestly and openly,” is what the legend suggests about one of India’s greatest batsmen ever.

Kohli is currently on a break after playing cricket continuously for quite some time. He led India to two historic wins in Australia – in Tests and ODIs – before winning an ODI series in New Zealand. He went to the break after India won the ODI series against the Kiwis straightaway, skipping the last two games, as well as the T20I series following that. Rohit Sharma led India in the finals two ODIs and the T20I series that India lost 1-2.

Speaking to Times of India in an exclusive interview, Warn replied to the question whether Kohli comes as a breath of fresh air since he speaks his mind saying: “He’s fantastic. I love watching him bat and I love listening to him. I am a big fan.”

“You know what he does? He stands up for what he believes in. He speaks how he feels and he’s real. He’s emotional, a bit too emotional sometimes on the field. But that’s the part of the charm.”

Kohli faced criticism during the second Test against Australia in Perth last December when he got involved in a cold verbal exchange with his Australian counterpart Tim Paine. However, he did well to overcome the odds by leading India to a historic victory in Melbourne in the next game that proved to be too hot for the Australian eventually.

Why Kohli does big chases? Warne has an explanation

Warne, 49, said Kohli loves confrontation and that’s a reason why his name surfaces so often in grand chases. “That’s why he has those 100s in chases. How many, 23, 24? The next best is how much? I can’t remember who’s second. That’s something inbuilt into you. That’s not skill or talent. He’s got a lot of that,” the spin wizard, who has over 1,000 international wickets.

Warne though stopped short of giving a verdict on the comparison between Kohli and his predecessor Sachin Tendulkar. He said it was “very hard” to judge different eras. He reminded of the bowling quality in the 1990s and the seaming surfaces and swinging deliveries. “…to think that someone was better than Brian Lara and Sachin – in those mid-‘90s – against Wasim, Waqar, Curtly, Courtney, McGrath, Donald, Saqlain, Mushy, Vettori, Murali, myself. You can go on,” Warne said, adding that he would only judge Kohli’s greatness at the end of his career.

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