Legendary Shane Warne on Monday said Virat Kohli was an “inspirational leader” in his own right and without his passion for the traditional format of the game, the popularity of Test cricket in some other countries would have waned.
Kohli recently relinquished Test captaincy after his side’s 1-2 loss against a weak South African side, but for the leg-spin wizard, Kohli’s biggest contribution has been the major flag bearer of cricket’s toughest form.
“Virat was a very good leader and inspired his teammates. I think on the tactical side he could have improved but as far as being a leader, I think he inspired his teammates all the time,” Warne said while promoting his documentary ‘Shane’. told PTI during an exclusive conversation that aired on the ‘Book My Show’ streaming platform earlier this month.
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The way Kohli promoted Test cricket for Warne, the former India captain’s respect has increased manifold.
“First of all I have nothing but great respect for Virat Kohli. I think he is a brilliant cricketer and a great ambassador for the game. I think we all should thank Virat Kohli and BCCI for taking Test cricket forward as it is the number one format.
Warne believes that if Kohli and the Indian cricket board don’t put their foot in maintaining the purity of Tests, some other countries may have lost interest in this day and era of T20 leagues.
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“If you want to test yourself in cricket, it is Test cricket. Test is the toughest form of our game. If India and Virat Kohli had not emphasized on Test cricket, then probably many other countries would have got away from it, but through Virat they really took Test cricket forward.
Warne said, ‘I am thankful to Virat and BCCI for the way he is playing and he is fantastic for the game.’
On the documentary, Warne is overwhelmed with the response he has received so far.
“I’m so proud of it and I’m blown away by the reaction. People have loved it, it inspired, so I did it the way I’ve been in the public eye for over 30 years now. So 30 years It has been interesting to touch on some of the things that happened in the past and look back,” Warne said.
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