If something Virat Kohli is well-known for apart from his top-class batting skills then it is his on-field aggression. Right from his initial days in the international circuit, the India men's cricket team skipper has never allowed the opposition to dominate him and has always maintained a tough demeanour while on the pitch.
Former India batsman Sunil Gavaskar feels the Indian women's cricket team should take some inspiration from the right-handed batsman and look to be more aggressive on the pitch.
"I was with my wife at Lord's watching the 2017 Women ODI World Cup final. What I saw was that English girls came hard at your lower order and intimidated them with their attitude," Gavaskar said during the virtual launch of the book '1971: The Beginning of India's Cricketing Greatness', published by Harper Collins and co-authored by Boria Majumdar and Gautam Bhattacharya, which was also being attended by India women's team ODI captain Mithali Raj.
"I would want the girls to glare back at the opposition instead of looking down. I feel body language is a very important aspect. Look at Virat Kohli, he stares at opposition and the rest of the team does that," he added.
Meanwhile, Mithali indicated that the 2022 50-over World Cup in New Zealand will be her "swansong" after 23 illustrious years in international cricket. The 38-year-old Mithali, arguably, the finest woman cricketer that India has ever produced, also said that she is seriously looking for some good seam bowling options for the lively New Zealand tracks that will be on offer next year.
"It's been 21 years of international cricket and I know 2022 is my swansong, The World Cup. The last year is equal to the 20 years of my international cricket," she said.
Mithali, the only women batter with 7000 plus ODI runs, also spoke about how she had to keep herself motivated during the COVID-19 times which also pushed the global event by one year.
"I know we are in difficult times but it takes a lot out of me to keep working on my fitness. I am not getting any younger, in fact I am getting older and I know the importance of fitness," Mithali said. "The importance of being in a very good emotional and mental set-up, knowing that there will be very few tours before the World Cup."
- with PTI inputs
