ICC Elite Panel Former Umpire Ian Gould said that Virat Kohli is a funny person who has a good understanding of the history of the game and its basics. He also praised his change in behavioral attitude in the modern era.
Ian Gould was often seen sharing light-hearted moments with Virat Kohli during matches. Ian Gould talking with ESPNcricinfo says,
“He’s a funny man. Yeah, he batted like me a couple of times. I had to tell him off for slogging it. He’s a charmer,”
After this Ian Gould also compares Virat Kohli with Sachin Tendulkar and says Virat Kohli is a bit like Sachin Tendulkar. He quoted
“He’s one of those guys who’s got, a bit like Sachin Tendulkar, the whole of India on his back,”
Ian Gould also added,
You could walk into a restaurant and sit and chat with him for hours. He’s a very worldly boy. When you look at Virat, you’re thinking male model, pin-up boy, but he knows about the game inside out, the past, history. Lovely guy.”
Virat Kohli has learned to be respectful
Virat Kohli’s aggressive nature on the field has always drawn criticism towards him. But Ian Gould feels he has changed a lot and he has learned to be respectful, He says,
“I can see why. But he’s learned to be respectful. He could have continued his career like that and people could be talking totally the opposite about Virat. He’s a nice m an and the Indian boys are very, very good people, very respectful.”
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Ian Gould has officiated in 74 Tests, 140 ODIs, and 37 T20Is. Virat Kohli has so far scored 43 centuries in ODI cricket and 27 in Test cricket. He has scored 7,240 runs in 86 Tests at an average of 53.6 and 11,867 runs in ODIs at an average of 59.3. At the same time, Virat is the top scorer in T20 International cricket with 2,794 runs in 82 matches.
