New Delhi, Oct 24: Team India skipper Virat Kohli once again illustrated why he is the best in business as he slammed a majestic century against New Zealand in the first ODI at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
With this blazing century, Kohli surpassed the legendary Australian skipper Ricky Ponting to claim the second spot in ODI list for most 100s. Kohli is now behind only to Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who occupies the top spot with 49 tons in the 50-over format of the game.
Praising the 28-year-old, Tendulkar said on Monday that he noticed the aggressive "spark" in Kohli when he made his India debut and that characteristic has rubbed off on the entire team.
"His (Kohli's) attitude hasn't changed since he got into the team. I noticed that spark in him which many guys were not fond of and there were many guys who were criticising him for that," Tendulkar said.
"And today that has become the strength of the Indian team. He hasn't changed much but people around him have changed. His attitude has changed only because of his performances and it is extremely crucial for a player to have that freedom to express himself," the legendary batsman added.
Tendulkar also said that the present Indian team is a lot more balanced as a unit.
"I feel today we have got great balance in the team with a lot of spinners that can bat, lot of seamers that can bat. We saw what Bhuvneshwar (Kumar) did yesterday, people like him (Bhuvneshwar) and Hardik Pandya are going to change the balance when we start travelling," he said.
Tendulkar and legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar were interacting with Harsha Bhogle during the launch of "Democracy's XI ? The Great Indian Cricket Story" penned by journalist Rajdeep Sardesai at the Royal Opera House this evening.
Gavaskar, meanwhile, recalled memories of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, and heaped praise on former India captain Kapil Dev and Ajit Wadekar for their leader ship abilities.
Former India skippers Ajit Wadekar, Mohammed Azaruddin, Madhav Apte, Nari Contractor, Vinod Kambli, Praveen Amre were among those who were present on the occasion.
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