Inspiring to watch Virat Kohli bat: Robin Uthappa

The consistency with which Virat Kohli has excelled in all three formats of the game is envious. Whether he is the best batsman in the world right now is a debate that is not going to die soon, but his ability to switch his game depending on formats with ease is what makes him stand out among his peers.

Robin Uthappa is among those who are surprised by the Indian captain’s ability to switch the game, and he thinks Kohli leaves not just the bowlers flummoxed but also those who are observing the game from outside.

“When you watch him bat from one version of the game to another, you can see how clearly, he has planned for each version of the game,” Uthappa said on the Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports.

“In one-day cricket, he almost never hits the ball in the air, unless it’s completely required during the course of the game. Similarly, in Test cricket, he is only going to hit the ball in the air once he has passed 120 or 150. But in T20 cricket, he pulls out the big shots and his orthodox big shots that you don’t even think that he will play it, because you have seen him play so much of good cricket along the ground in ODI & Test cricket that you don’t anticipate him playing that,” added the right-hander.

Uthappa thinks that this ability throws bowlers off their plans, making it a task for them to come up with plans to contain the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper.

“Suddenly, the bowlers have to plan for each version of the game. For me, someone like Virat, the way he approaches each version of the game is just phenomenal. It’s kind of inspiring, like what must be going through that mind for him to be able to concede those ideas and say, ‘Ok, these are my shots for T20 cricket, these are my shots for one-day cricket, and these are my shots for 5-day cricket’. It’s just amazing,” said Uthappa who is now a part of Rajasthan Royals.