Virat Kohli amazed by Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill’s confidence ahead of West Indies tour

Virat Kohli amazed by Rishabh Pant: The Indian skipper was wax lyrical about the rookie Indian players ahead of West Indies tour.

India captain Virat Kohli seems to be highly impressed by the younger crop of Indian cricketers. In a recent interview with The Times of India, Kohli opened up on these players being way better than what he was at their age.

Kohli believed the Indian Premier League has played a huge role in providing exposure to the likes of Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill.

Virat Kohli amazed by Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill

“They [Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill] are amazing. The level of confidence that they have is amazing to see. As I have mentioned so many times before, at 19-20, we were not even half the players these guys are. Skills have developed because of exposure to tournaments like the IPL. It’s the best thing that can happen to a cricketer.

If you have to pick one among the following for T20 World Cup In 2020, who would you pick and why?

• MS Dhoni
• Rishabh Pant

— Madhav Sharma (@HashTagCricket) July 21, 2019

“They are so confident by the time they come here that they learn very quickly from their mistakes because they have already played in front of so many people. But the intent has to be that ‘I am using this platform to play for my country’. And I think that these guys are in that zone,” Kohli was quoted as saying.

“I made many mistakes…”

The Indian skipper further admitted making mistakes during the earlier part of his career. Laying emphasis on getting distracted early on, Kohli expressed gratitude at reaching this stage of his career.

“I made many mistakes when I was growing up. I got distracted and wasn’t focused initially. Then I pulled my way back. I am grateful for where I am. The only thing that should stay with you is hard work,” Kohli added.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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