Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson recently compared Indian cricket legends Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni and highlighted their remarkable mental resilience. Shane Watson praised Shane Virat Kohli for his consistent intensity and commitment at every moment of the game, particularly in the recent IPL 2024.
Virat Kohli topped the batting charts while representing the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the recent season. Kohli scored 741 runs in 15 matches at an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.69, including one century and five fifties. However, his team failed to secure its first title in the IPL 2024 season.
Constant intensity at every moment of every game – Shane Watson
Shane Watson highlighted Virat Kohli’s unwavering intensity and commitment during matches. The cricketer-turned-commentator emphasized that the approach has allowed Kohli to consistently deliver outstanding performances over a prolonged period.
“There’s actually only a couple of people I’ve played with or against who had that consistent intensity every moment of every game. So that’s one thing about Virat, that we’ve seen in this IPL, how committed he is. That’s why he’s been able to maintain such high performance for so long,” Watson said.
MS Dhoni still knows how to let his mind be free – Shane Watson
Shane Watson highlighted MS Dhoni’s more relaxed demeanor in contrast to Virat Kohli’s intense approach. The former Australian cricketer described Dhoni as operating at a lower level of intensity compared to Kohli. Watson said Dhoni keeps his mind off him during matches despite being 42 years old.
“But then you have on the other side of the fence MS Dhoni, who has the opposite intensity to Virat. He doesn’t need to be like nine out of 10 with his intensity level; he needs to be around six, even at the age of 42. “he still knows how to let his mind be free so he can access his abilities that are so deeply ingrained,” Watson added.
MS Dhoni handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad before the first match of IPL 2024. Dhoni made a significant contribution to the CSK team despite having undergone knee surgery the previous year. The former CSK captain scored 161 runs in 14 matches at an average of 53.67 and a staggering strike rate of 220.55.
These are world class cricketers – Shane Watson
Shane Watson emphasized the mental transition from the IPL to international tournaments like the Men’s T20 World Cup, stressing the need to make adjustments to conditions, pitches and team dynamics.
“These are world-class cricketers who are going to move on from an IPL, for example, and will have to make small adjustments to the conditions and pitches they will face. Also, if it comes to temperature and a new team.” environment too. “That’s where, by deeply understanding these mental abilities and applying them to who you are, you build a really strong cocoon, like a bulletproof cocoon, around yourself.”
The 42-year-old represented Australia in 59 Tests, 190 ODIs and 58 T20Is in his career. He scored 3731 Test runs, 5757 ODI runs and 1462 T20I runs. He recorded 14 centuries in all three formats of international cricket. He amassed 3874 runs in 145 IPL matches at an average of 30.99, including four centuries and 21 fifties.
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