Really admire Virat Kohli’s commitment to purest form of cricket, states Gideon Haigh

Having authored 19 books — on cricket and business — and being a keen spectator of the sport from the revolutionary days of the Kerry Packer series, there is no doubt that Haigh knows the game inside out. However, Haigh disagrees with the observation that the traditional Test format is losing popularity, given the four-day proposal being considered by the ICC. 

“There have always been voices citing signs of extinction of the five-day game. It never had many great advocates in circles of power, but still it keeps on peaking. One thing I really admire about Kohli is his absolute commitment to the purest form of the game. He has been a great advocate of the game. If anyone in this generation can keep Test cricket alive it is Kohli,” Haigh told TOI in an exclusive chat. 

The senior journalist puts India’s rise as a cricketing superpower down to the explosive pace-bowling attack which allows Kohli to express himself as a captain on the field. 

“I never thought I would see a day when an Indian pace attack will out-bowl Australian attack in Australian conditions like I saw during last summer 2018-19. India was always a very formidable country in its home conditions but always struggled when it didn't have the support of its own crowd. Now India can win anywhere. And it's the confidence that arises from there. That knowledge has made Virat Kohli a more aggressive captain and a more dynamic individual and in some respects most revolutionary cricketer of this time,” he said.

In a country where people worship their cricket heroes like Sachin Tendulkar or MS Dhoni, Haigh has been impressed with Kohli’s handling of his public image.

“Kohli has taken a more proactive approach with managing his image. He has done that extremely shrewdly. It seems to me from a distance that he remains capable of being his own man. I would wait to see if he takes a political position on something. Whether he could use his fame and stature to voice his own opinion,” Haigh added.