India is fortunate to have legends like Gavaskar, Tendulkar and Kohli, says Raju

Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Virat Kohli, the Chase King (no more Chase Master), stole the limelight with an unbeaten 105 runs off 60 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders and in the process, the 37-year-old legend slammed his record-extending ninth IPL century. This phenomenal innings was laced with 11 fours and 3 sixes.

Those words, pressure is privilege is something that forced me to have a little conversation with former India player SL Venkatapathy Raju. The topic automatically veered around the other legends Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. I put this simple question to Raju, ‘how do you compare or how do you describe these three legends regarding their batting, their discipline, their work ethics, their intensity and their passion’.

Gavaskar was a master technician

Sunil Gavaskar’s bat would come straight as an arrow. His defence was tight and was nimble footed. He saw the ball late. That is what helped him to become one of the finest batters. That he could bat without a helmet is a tribute to his batting technique,” Raju said

With his typical Raju laugh, the former left-arm spinner, said that India is fortunate to have legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Tendulkar and Kohli. They made their batting an art. Their straight drives, on drives or cover drives, were very, very special. Of course, the three were from different generations. One thing that is common is their basics are very strong. They had the technical ability to adjust to different conditions. When we grew up as young cricketers, we heard about Gavaskar. He was a master technician. I remember Jai uncle (ML Jaisimha) talking endlessly on Gavaskar’s technique. “His bat would come straight as an arrow. His defence was tight and was nimble footed. He saw the ball late. That is what helped him to become one of the finest batters. That he could bat without a helmet is a tribute to his batting technique,” Raju said.

Raju further added that Tendulkar was already a superstar when he entered the international scene. “My first interaction was when he played against Hyderabad at Gymkhana as a young 16-year-old cricketer and there was a lot of talk going around about his batting talent. This was his second match, and he showed that he is born to play cricket. He quietly took to the stardom with hard work. It was sooner or later he took the world stage by storm. Here was a cricketer that took the batting to the next level. His trademark straight drives were something anyone would love to watch.

Tendulkar was very meticulous

“The way he worked in the nets was amazing. He was very meticulous and ensured that he would fully be prepared for any match, be it in Ranji or international match. That is what is all about work ethics. Once on the ground, he was into his own zone, particularly with his batting. He made the batting look easy with his simple technique. He too played the ball late,’’ said Raju, who twice dismissed Tendulkar. “He tried to cut the ball and was caught behind on the first occasion,” he added.

Once on the ground, Sachin Tendulkar was into his own zone, particularly with his batting. He made the batting look easy with his simple technique, says Venkatapathy Raju

On the other hand, Kohli had to work his way to the top, according to Raju. “He did not have the stardom as Tendulkar at the start of his international career. But once he entered the international scene, he took the bull by its horns. He has been phenomenal with the bat. The intensity is at a different level and so is the focus. He brought that aggressiveness into his game, be it in batting or fielding or in his captaincy. That aggressiveness was all the more seen in Test cricket. That was the speciality of Kohli.

Kohli never accepts a failure

“His work ethics inspired many young cricketers. He is the first cricketer to enter the field. He would never miss a net session and once in the nets, he gets into that zone. He plays with a lot of passion. He still has that hunger to perform in big matches. He never accepts a failure. When he was out for zero in successive matches, he elegantly rode back to form with a century against KKR in the third match,” Raju said.

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Raju, who is also a former National selector, said he agrees with Adam Gilchrist, the former Australian wicket keeper-batter, who said Kohli is the greatest all-format batter of his generation. As Gilchrist said, Kohli’s intense desire to compete, his unparalleled commitment to fitness, and his work ethic, which continues to drive his success on the field.