Virat Kohli interviewed Sir Vivian Richards and it was brilliant.
Team India skipper Virat Kohli interviewed one of the greatest batsmen and former Windies cricketer Sir Vivian Richards for the bcci.tv ahead India vs West Indies Test series which begins on August 22 in Antigua at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
On the eve of the contest, the pair had a chat and shared their passion for the game and Virat Kohli was not shy to admit what a big fan he is of the Antigua born batsman's style of batting.
During the interview, Virat asked Sir Vivian a lot of questions, which ranged from how did he deal with the fastest bowlers of his time while batting without any of the modern-day gears and what was his mindset like when he walked out to bat.
Sir Vivian scored over 15,000 international runs in Test and ODI format of the game before announcing his retirement from the sport in 1991. He rolled back his memories and explained Virat about the art of batting.
Kohli kick-started the interview by asking Sir Viv about all the different challenges while playing against his fiercest of rivals.
“I always felt I was good enough to compete. I wanted to express myself in the best possible way during the game. There was passion and people often wondered why we were so angry, but it was passion,” Richards replied.
Then the 30-year-old questioned Sir Viv on what was his approach to batting in the era of uncovered pitches without helmets felt like? The pair also agreed that getting hit on the body by the bowler is also a part and parcel of the game.
“I believe that I am the man. It may sound arrogant but I always felt that I was involved in the game, and backed myself every time. You even back yourself to get hurt and take the knocks," said Richards.
“I tried the helmet, but it felt a little uncomfortable. I felt proud to wear the maroon West Indies cap. I believed I was good enough to be here and if I get hurt hopefully by God’s grace I will survive."
“I prefer to get hit early on and get to know the feeling, rather than always feeling like you might get hit. I prefer getting hit early on and really hard, so it motivates me to not allow that to happen again,” Kohli replied.
“As a batsman you will get hurt and what’s important is how well you bounce back from that. Earlier we didn’t have all the various guards and when we got hit, we took the hit on the ribs and moved on. It’s all part and parcel of the sport,” Sir Vivian concluded with.
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 "Sir Vivian Richards and Virat Kohli")
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