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Former BCCI chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar narrates Kohli's India selection story: 'Virat hadn't scored many runs'
Dilip Vengsarkar has revealed the series of events which led to Virat Kohli's selection in the Indian team.
Former captain Dilip Vengsarkar was the man responsible for giving Indian cricket the genius of Virat Kohli. The former India captain was the chairman of selectors of the BCCI in 2008 when Kohli received his India cap. Kohli's India debut had roughly six just months after he had led the Under-19 team to a World Cup win in Malaysia, and recalling how the then-India youngster had risen through the ranks exponentially, Vengsarkar revealed the series of events which led to Kohli's selection in the Indian team.
"I had watched Virat for the first time at the Under-16 tournament when he played for Delhi schools and it was in Kolkata. He didn't score many runs but he was very impressive. And later on, of course, he played Under-19 for India and did extremely well. They won the World Cup. And then the emerging players tournament was happening in Australia," Vengsarkar said in a video uploaded by BCCI.
"I was the chairman of the selection committee. And we had picked Under-23 boys in the tournament because what we felt was that emerging players should be under 23 because they are the future of Indian cricket. That's how we picked Virat Kohli."
The Colonel of Indian cricket, Vengsarkar congratulated Kohli on the phenomenal achievement of playing 100 Tests and underlines the three aspects that he feels has made Virat a top player in world cricket. At 33, Kohli still has a lot to offer to Indian cricket, with Vengsarkar backing the star India batter to carry on for another five years at least.
"To play 100 Test matches for India is a fantastic achievement. It shows Virat’s class as an international player. His focus, passion and discipline, these are the virtues which have enabled him to play for so long for India. He is still very young, extremely fit and I’m sure he will play for maybe another 5-6 years easily. He is one of the best in the world," mentioned Vengsarkar.
