Hopefully I will have a chance to chat with Virat Kohli: Jason Roy

Fiery English opener Jason Roy recently wrote at length about present day cricket in his blog for Sky Sports. In his blog, he talked about his recent stint with the Sydney Sixers, the Kolpak players joining county teams and the challenges for English team in India. Jason Roy began with his stint at BBL this year. He said that he had a lot of fun with the players in the Sydney Sixers camp.

“My time with the Sydney Sixers went so fast it was ridiculous but I had a lot of fun with a great bunch of boys; they’re a really talented group and will hopefully go all the way. The huge audience the tournament generates puts you under a lot of pressure, which is ideal in terms of learning how to perform in international cricket,” he wrote.

Jason Roy is currently touring with the England side for the ODIs and T20Is series. Roy is hopeful that he will get a chance to learn a few tricks of the game from Virat Kohli – the Indian skipper. He hopes that the Indian skipper does not perform well in the series to come.

He quoted, “Hopefully I’ll get a chance to chat to Virat Kohli in the coming weeks; it’s always good to speak to people who have done it at the top level and learning about the mentality behind performance. It’ll be the first time that I’ve played against him face to face so I’m looking forward to it – so long as he doesn’t get too many!”

He further added that Kohli is the best man to replace MS Dhoni as the next skipper. “He’s got one hell of a record and is the ideal man to replace MS Dhoni; he seems to have it all figured out and is fiercely proud of representing India,” he said.

Also read – Will try to learn from MS Dhoni: Rishabh Pant

Roy further spoke about the two South African players signing the Kolpak deal. Jason Roy admitted that it must have been a very tough decision for both Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw to quit international cricket. At the same time, he added that they will be value additions for the county team.

“Likewise, I’d give up a lot of things to play for my country so I can’t imagine just how tough it’s been for Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw to pass up on South Africa selection by signing for Hampshire. They’ll both be a huge asset to county cricket; as Kolpak players they’ll strengthen the county game massively. Rossouw is a quality performer as is Abbott, who has already done well in county cricket in the past,” Jason Roy mentioned.

Lastly, he talked about how the team is gearing up for the India series. The performances in the limited overs cricket in the recent times will help England get the confidence going.

“The boys are firing after a tough Test series; everything we did in white-ball cricket last year has set the stage for what’s to come. We know where we’re at – especially on our home surfaces – and it’s a hugely exciting time for the team and supporters because we’ve got talented players in the squad and ones coming through, too,” he concluded.