Viv Richards feels Virat Kohli is mentally strong enough to do well in England

05/27/2018

Viv Richards, who has often shown his likeness towards Virat Kohli, feels that despite missing his county stint, Kohli would do well in England as he is mentally very strong. He stated that West Indies cricket team is a boys’ club, who haven't had good advice and needs correct advice to flourish.

Viv Richards, who has turned 66 now, was present in Delhi donning a different role to encourage parents to send their wards to American University of Antigua College of Medicine, a part of the Manipal group. Despite being busy, Richards stays in touch with cricket and in an interview with TOI praised Virat Kohli’s aggression and highlighted Kohli’s four hundred down under in the losing cause. He suggested that if team India would have had the same aggression as him they would have won the series.

“I love aggression. My whole style was aggression. I love Virat for that. I think one of the more important confrontations I have seen was when Virat scored four centuries in Australia against the best bowling attack. That’s the best way to respond man! If the Indian team had taken a leaf out of his book, I believe they could have won the series,” Viv Richards said.

Richards felt that Kohli has been doing an amazing job with the captaincy and has been a great example for the side leading from the front. He stated that it was a good move to play county cricket for the preparation of the England tour on the part of Kohli. The Indian skipper has ruled himself out of county matches due to neck strain. Despite missing the county matches, Richards backed him to do well in England and insisted that Kohli has a strong mind.

“I would have loved to see him play County. I think that was a wise move. I think he was aware of what took place last time. That’s good thinking. But it’s disappointing now that he can’t do that. But I think he is strong enough mentally. And I am backing him to do well,” he said.

Richards opined that the decision to tamper the ball was ‘dumb’ and insisted that cheating to win the game was the lowest of the low. He suggested that it was a sad day for cricket and we must move on from that.

“Boys will be boys. That (incident) was pretty sad in my opinion. Especially with the cameras at so many angles, that for me wasn’t smart. That was so dumb. And now that we see the dumbness, let them pay. I love Steve Smith. He had a blunder. But let’s move ahead. That was a gloomy day. We don’t need that in the game. If you compete hard enough you can be in the winning circle. To cheat and do it --- that to me is the lowest of the low,” he said.

He regarded West Indies cricket team as a ‘boys’ club’, who haven’t had the best advice given to them. He explained the politics going on in the West Indies cricket board and insisted that people who have been critical of the proceedings have been pushed aside.

“We had Joel Garner. I will give just one example. He was part of the board to begin with. He was going to run against the president. But something got in their way where the president maybe got in his ears. He didn’t run against him anymore. The president continued his term and Joel Garner became manager of the West Indies team. You read between the lines? West Indies board is a boys’ club. They haven’t had the best advice. Michael Holding was always critical. If you are saying something critical, you are pushed aside. And I am not going to stop saying,” he added.

Viv Richards feels Virat Kohli is mentally strong enough to do well in England

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