Virat kohli chosen for lanka ODIs, champions trophy

Leading India to victory in the under-19 World Cup has worked well for Delhi’s 19-year-old all rounder Virat Kohli. Not many expected he would make the senior grade so soon, reports G Krishnan.

Leading India to victory in the under-19 World Cup has worked well for Delhi’s 19-year-old all rounder Virat Kohli.

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Not many expected the middle order batsman to make the senior grade so soon.

But that is the talent he has and the confidence the selectors have on him. Earlier the National Cricket Academy chose him to train for six weeks in Brisbane for the Gavaskar-Border Scholarship.

He was expected to play a vital role in the Bangalore team’s IPL campaign. Only 19, he was pitch-forked to limited overs for his strokeplay. But he could not translate the expectations into on-field performance. “I was over-ambitious and that was why I did not succeed,” Kohli admitted to Hindustan Times on Thursday.

IPL skipper Rahul Dravid had already identified him as a bright prospect. “You have got to be patient with Virat. He has got lots of talent and hits the ball cleanly,” Dravid had said then.

With an average of 45 in 11 first-class matches, Kohli is not rushing himself. But an unbeaten 120 for India ‘A’ against New Zealand Emerging Players in the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia caught the eye of chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar. Now that Kohli has made the cut, the onus is on him to grab the opportunity.