Virat Kohli has “progressed magnificently”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Legendary South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis has been highly impressed with India captain Virat Kohli’s progress since he made his international debut in 2008.

Kohli has gone on to topple records in that time and is arguably the best batsman in international cricket today.

But, what’s the secret behind all his success. According to Kallis, a lot of it has been down to the Indian Premier League (IPL), where Kohli represents the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

“He has progressed magnificently and that was one of the benefits of the IPL,” Kallis told The Times of India. “A lot of Indian youngsters get to play with big and world class players and are benefiting from that too. In the case of Virat Kohli, the IPL may not be the only reason for his development but the development may have happened faster for him. That is great to see, a youngster’s evolution.

“The records show for themselves. He has obviously got the record to prove that at home. But yes, he is the one who looks capable of playing away from home pretty decently.”

While Kohli was heavily criticised for his captaincy during the recent Test series against South Africa, Kallis feels that the 29-year-old has done a good job thus far.

“I think he is responding to the job pretty well,” Kallis said. “Obviously he is still learning but the captaincy is about getting the best out of the team. If you can get the team to play for you, that’s half the battle won.”