Greg Chappell: “Virat’s art of batting, is like no other that I have seen in a lifetime of watching cricket.”

Australian batting icon Greg Chappell praised Virat Kohli for his match-winning effort versus Pakistan in India’s T20 World Cup 2022 opener at the MCG last Sunday (October 23).

The Men in Blue were in grave circumstances at 31/4 after 6.1 overs, chasing 160 to win. Kohli responded to the occasion, smashing 82* off 53 balls and sharing a 113-run partnership with Hardik Pandya (40 off 37 balls) to put India on the verge of triumph, which was finally secured by R Ashwin on the last delivery of the game.

Kohli’s innings, according to Chappell, was close to becoming a ‘song of god,’ the precise translation of Bhagvad Gita. Greg Chappell referred to Virat Kohli as the strongest Indian batsman of all time, describing his unbeaten 82 off 53 balls versus Pakistan as a performance that legitimised T20 cricket.

“The Bhagavad Gita is the holy book which is the synthesis of Hinduism. Literally translated, it means “the song by God”. Kohli played an innings that was as close to a ‘song by god’ as has ever been played in T20 cricket,” Greg Chappell wrote in his column for the Australian newspaper “Sydney Morning Herald”.

“Like a cat playing with a new skein of wool, Kohli teased then expertly picked apart an excellent Pakistan bowling attack until it lay unravelled, spent and exposed on the green carpet of the MCG. It was an innings that showcased the art of batting like no other that I have seen in a lifetime of watching cricket,” former Team India coach added.

“Ironically, it was also the innings that legitimised T20 cricket as, dare I say it, an art form, more than any that I have seen in the past 15 years. Nobody can dismiss T20 cricket as simply entertainment ever again,” Greg Chappell added.

“None of the greats of bygone eras could have dismembered of an opponent so brutally without compromising the niceties of the art of batting than Kohli did last Sunday night,” he further stated.

“Kohli is the most complete Indian batsman of my time. Only the greatest of champions has the courage and the intelligence to transport their imagination beyond the mortal plane. Kohli has that. Perhaps only Tiger Pataudi has come close to transcending a similar stratosphere,” Greg Chappell elaborated.

Only World Cup-winning Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist, according to Chappell, could have pulled off such a triumph, and it was difficult to look away while Kohli was batting.

“I can think of many of the finest hitters in contemporary cricket who could have, and probably should have, pulled off a comparable triumph, but none has ever done it with pure batting abilities in the manner that Kohli did against Pakistan,” he added.

“In the past, only Adam Gilchrist came close, but this was even more esoteric than some of his most magnificent attempts.” It was impossible to turn away.” Chappell was pleased since the knock came from the strongest and most vociferous fan of Test cricket.

“It brought me great joy since it was performed by one of the most ardent advocates and exponents of Test cricket over the last 145 years.”

“This was the day when T20 cricket matured, and the nail-biting game was played in front of 90,000 enthusiastic supporters, most of whom were thousands of miles from their birthplace,” Chappell wrote.

Special win. Thank you to all our fans for turning up in numbers. 🇮🇳💙 pic.twitter.com/hAcbuYGa1H

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) October 23, 2022

Not long ago, there was a heated controversy about Kohli’s inclusion in India’s T20 World Cup team, as he was in the midst of the worst period of his career following a contentious conclusion to his captaincy in all three formats of the game. Greg Chappell is thrilled that Virat Kohli, Test cricket’s most vociferous advocate, went on to play this innings. Kohli will return to action on Sunday when India plays South Africa in their third match of the exciting match at Perth’s Optus Stadium.