Not everyone loves Virat Kohli’s aggression but former international umpire Anil Chaudhary feels cricket needs players like him for the sport to remain interesting. Virat Kohli’s intensity on the field has always divided people. While millions of fans love his passion and aggression, many others have also criticised him for the same. Even though Kohli has become much calmer with age, his aggressive style is still a big part of his game.
Anil Chaudhary, who has seen Virat Kohli’s journey from his childhood days as an umpire, said Kohli’s reactions are not out of disrespect. Virat, who recently played in India’s 2-1 ODI series loss against England, will next be seen in the series against West Indies in September.
Chaudhary gave an interview in which he said that he has known Virat since he was a kid and this has worked as an advantage for him while umpiring. He said Virat has no bad intentions in his heart. Sometimes he reacts aggressively on the field but if the umpire gives a correct decision, he also appreciates it with thumbs up. He shared that between overs, Virat even comes and puts his hand around his waist in a friendly manner. He is always full of energy on the field. He feels cricket needs such lively players, otherwise the game will become very boring.
The former umpire also spoke about the heated moments of Kohli in the IPL, like his famous fight with Gautam Gambhir in 2013. He said he was not surprised by such incidents because players from North India always play with a lot of aggression. He said he has also played local cricket and northern players have always been like that. If they don’t play aggressively, they can’t perform well. If you put too many restrictions on players, the fun and flavour of the game will be lost. However, he also added that there is a line and players should not cross it.
Anil Chaudhary also gave his opinion on the controversial run-out at the non-striker’s end. While he supported the dismissal and said it is completely fair, he suggested a new rule.
He said it is unfair because the non-striker starts running much before the ball is bowled and gets an advantage of covering fewer steps. Many times on the last ball, both the non-striker and striker start running early, which leaves nothing for the bowler. He believes that very soon, maybe in a year or two, cricket will have a warning system – like one warning, then a second warning, and then a run penalty for the batting team.
He certainly makes sense, what do you say?
