ENG vs IND 2018: Virat Kohli has a Special Place among India Greats - Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar admitted Virat Kohli had carved a special place for himself among Indian greats following his debut century against England at Edgbaston.

Meanwhile, Kohli was the lone warrior for India during the first Test which India lost by 31 runs. Virat Kohli scored an excellent hundred in the first essay and backed it up with a fighting 51 in the second.

Sanjay Manjrekar, while speaking in a debate at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, heaped praise on Kohli. He also noted that India have kept on producing great batters for quite some time now.

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“Even among Indian greats now, he’s finding a special place. It’s amazing. You talk about dirty Varanasi waters, but Indian waters keep producing this kind of phenomenal batting talents, year after year, generation after generation.

“Sunil Gavaskar quit in 1987. We had Tendulkar two years later, in 1989. And as he was winding up his long career, here comes Virat Kohli,” Sanjay Manjrekar said.

Most recently, Kohli crawled to the top of the ICC Test Batsmen’s List leaving behind suspended Steven Smith. Virat Kohli has put all speculations to rest over his poor record in England playing two of his most excellent knocks.

Self-belief- Virat Kohli’s biggest asset

The cricketer turned commentator feels his performance in the first Test was an evidence of his self-belief. Sanjay Manjrekar stressed Kohli’s belief doesn’t take a dip even if he fails to score in few matches.

He also lauded his fitness which Virat Kohli holds very close to him.

“Where I find him different from other batting greats is his self-belief, his self-confidence,” said Manjrekar. “I remember he averaged 13 (13.4) the last time he was here with the India team in England. The very next Test match was in Adelaide, and he walked out like he was king of Adelaide.

“Virat Kohli’s self-confidence doesn’t dip, it takes a lot for that to take a beating. That makes him special. The other thing is his fitness. I think he’s the fittest, greatest batsman,” Sanjay Manjrekar added.