He continues to be my favourite, says Sir Vivian Richards on Virat Kohli

Despite a majestic hundred from the Indian skipper Virat Kohli, India lost control of proceedings in the second Test against Australia. After posting 326 runs, the hosts failed to cope with the masterclass of Kohli who registered his 25th Test match hundred.

Sir Vivian Richards, along with many former cricketers, showered praise on the Indian captain for the exquisite strokeplay in tough conditions. The Caribbean legend called him his favorite cricketer and also had no issues with his aggressive intent. He also compared the current Indian side to the team he played against and compared the change in on-field confrontations.

“Oh! He (Kohli) continues to be my favourite. He is such a little fellow but always punching above his weight. A remarkable cricketer who doesn’t show his cheek, very aggressive. And, he will be capping off wonderful times he has been having if he wins the Test series in Australia,” Richards was quoted as saying by Sportstar.

“I remember the days when the poor fellows were timid. But, not anymore. If you engage them verbally too, they will give back to you. This comes when you have a strong captain and the juniors just follow you. But, I love confrontations in the true spirit. That’s why a strong captain like Virat is needed,” he added.

If not now, India will never win in Australia

Sir Vivian Richards also analyzed the current situation of the Indian side in the ongoing Australian tour. He reckons if the giants from subcontinent fail to win this Test series, they might never manage to do so again. Despite some legendary Indian players like Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Saurav Ganguly failing to triumph Down Under, the 66-year-old expects Kohli to do the unthinkable.