‘Guys like…’: Virat Kohli admires his all time Indian cricket idols during Australia clash

Kohli first toured Down Under in 2011 and faced a hostile reception from the Australian crowd but he reckoned that the aggression gradually transformed into respect.

“Growing up, watching cricket as a kid when we used wake up early and watch Test cricket in Australia, you can see the ball flying of the pitch and the opposition in your face, and I used to feel, Wow, if I will able to step up in these conditions and against this opposition that’s something I could be proud of as a cricketer. That’s the motivation for me watching all the greats of our game from either side. Guys like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, even Virender Sehwag, guys, whom I really looked up to,” Kohli told Fox Cricket ahead of the first ODI here on Sunday.

“Even the Australian set up, how they played their cricket and how they were in your face all the time, intimidating and taking the game on, that was something that really inspired me to come here and do the same. Early on I found it was easier to watch on television than be part of that hostile environment but I am really grateful to all those times because that shaped me as a cricketer and as a person as well.

“That really tests your mental strength and resilience because once you start copping it from the crowd you can’t escape, you got to come back everyday,” added Kohli, who got out for a naught in his return to India colors after seven months.

Kohli remembered the chats he had with former England skipper Kevin Pietersen with whom he shared dressing room with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL, helped him prepare for Australian brand of cricket.

With PTI Inputs.