Fri, Dec 06, 2024 | Jumada al-Aakhirah 5, 1446 | DXB ktweather icon0°C

Dubai: De Silva backs 'legend' Kohli as pressure mounts on Indian batsman

The Sri Lankan legend, who met amateur cricketers in Dubai, named Kohli among the greatest batters of all time

Published: Thu 21 Nov 2024, 9:50 PM

Updated: Fri 22 Nov 2024, 4:55 PM

Top Stories

India's Virat Kohli prepares to bat during a practice session at the Optus Stadium in Perth. — AFP

India's Virat Kohli prepares to bat during a practice session at the Optus Stadium in Perth. — AFP

Standing in the middle of the picturesque DP World Cricket Ground at Jafza, Dubai, Aravinda de Silva smiled at the cameras and answered every question of fans who turned up to say hello to the iconic Sri Lankan cricketer.

It was a meet-and-greet session for amateur cricketers at Jafza Cup presented by We One, a corporate tournament, as fans kept hurling questions at De Silva on his match-winning heroics in the 1996 World Cup when the stocky Sri Lankan galloped into the realm of legends.


They were also curious to know the secret to his fearless shot-making ability against some of the most hostile bowlers of his time and his opinion on the explosion of T20 cricket which has changed the dynamics of the game since he retired at the age of 37 in 2003.

Then someone asked him to name his three favourite bowlers and batters of all time.

Sri Lankan cricket legend Aravinda de Silva shakes hands with fans at DP World Cricket Ground. — Photos by Shihab

Sri Lankan cricket legend Aravinda de Silva shakes hands with fans at DP World Cricket Ground. — Photos by Shihab

De Silva paused for a moment before taking the name of an old rival.

“Wasim Akram. I must say he was an unbelievable bowler. He was the best I faced,” he said.

“But it’s difficult to tell you who are the second and third because there were so many great bowlers — Richard Hadlee, Imran Khan, and then you had the line-up of four great West Indian fast bowlers (Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts and Joel Garner). They are all great bowlers.”

By now, everyone around him was anxious to know who he would name as his best three batters of all time.

“Viv Richards and Brian Lara,” he said before pausing again. “And the third is a toss-up between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.”

It was the last name that brought a round of applause from everyone.

Yes, in De Silva’s book, Kohli is good enough to be spoken of in the same sentence as Richards, Lara and Tendulkar.

The mercurial Sri Lankan is apparently very fond of Kohli, even inviting the Indian batter to his place in Colombo for dinner during one of India’s Sri Lanka tours.

Asanka Gurusinha, De Silva’s former teammate with who he shared a match-winning partnership against Australia in the 1996 World Cup final, once revealed in an interview how the master Sri Lankan batter tried to get an insight into Kohli’s brilliance as the three of them shared a meal.

It is not unusual even for a legendary sportsman to be in awe of a current superstar.

Kohli in 2016 and 2017 was a different beast — as ruthlessly brilliant as Novak Djokovic during the peak of the Serbian’s career.

But just like the 37-year-old tennis icon who endured the worst season of his life since 2010, finishing 2024 without a Grand Slam trophy in his hand, Kohli is now battling a prolonged lean patch in Test cricket.

At 36, it’s not going to be easier for a player who once played bowlers of varying skills with equal proficiency.

But now he can’t seem to solve relatively simple puzzles thrown at him by modest spinners on turning tracks.

The humiliating 3-0 defeat to New Zealand at home raised several questions and his detractors are now baying for his blood.

It’s against this backdrop that Kohli would begin the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Perth on Friday in what could be a make-or-break Test series for him Down Under.

The clamour for retirement will be ringing in Kohli’s ears if he fails to turn back the clock in Australia — a country where he has delivered some astonishing performances in the past.

But De Silva says it’s rude for people to even speculate about the retirement of a great cricketer.

“Virat for me is one of the top players in the world, so I have no doubt about his class. But I have no comment to make about his retirement, and I think it is entirely up to him. He should decide when he wants to retire. He is a guy who has performed extraordinarily well.” De Silva told the Khaleej Times.

Ironically, Kohli was also going through a low phase in 2014 after he returned from a disastrous series with the bat in England.

Barely a few months after his return, Kohli went to Australia for a four-Test series to face an attack led by the ferocious Mitchell Johnson.

What followed was the stuff of legends as Kohli fought fire with fire, scoring 692 runs with four sublime hundreds.

India may have lost that series, but Kohli, who had already become a modern wonder in the white-ball formats by pulling off impossible chases, proved he also had the game to join the elites in Test cricket.

Virat Kohli (right) celebrates a century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on December 28, 2014. — AFP file

Virat Kohli (right) celebrates a century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on December 28, 2014. — AFP file

But can we expect a similar sort of redemption Down Under from a player who is now on the wrong side of 30s?

We will get that answer over the next 45 days as India battle Australia in the five-Test series.

But whatever happens in Australia, De Silva will always remain a big fan of Kohli’s talent and tenaciousness.

“I think this kind of situation arises when you reach a certain age, but when you really look at what he has done for Indian cricket and the performances he has given during his career, it's amazing and he made the entire country proud. And more so for cricket, I think he has been an amazing ambassador,” De Silva said.

“So, I think people like him should never be under pressure as far as I am concerned. He has got to decide when he wants to go and I am sure he will know the right time because he is the kind of person who would never want to ridicule himself, so he would know exactly when to say it's enough and get on the rest of his life. And as I said before he has been a legend of the game.”

The sun had sunk behind the tree-lined boundary of the DP World Cricket Ground when De Silva named Kohli among his greatest batters of all time.

Now on Wednesday morning, fans around the world will turn on their TV sets with some trepidation as the ageing star rages against the dying of the light.

ALSO READ:



Next Story