The camera is always on Virat Kohli. From a small gesture towards his teammate to an aggressive celebration when a rival batter gets out, Kohli’s every act is always under the gaze of the lens. It does not stop there – at airports, in hotel lobbies, on the streets, inside restaurants – there is rarely a time when Kohli is not followed. The celebrity status that superstars like Kohli have comes with its share of burden. Kohli’s ex-teammate at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Liam Livingstone, who currently plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, shared his opinion on Kohli’s tryst with fame.
“What’s he like in the dressing room?” Michael Vaughan asked England star Liam Livingstone in a podcast.
“He was amazing. I’d always played against Virat, and he’s always laughing,” Livingstone said.
“If you want to have a go at someone, he’ll have a go back at you. But on the field, he’s ultra-competitive. As soon as he steps over that line, he’s a different person. Away from cricket, he is a really nice, chilled-out, lovely guy who loves spending time with his family. A very chilled-out guy,” Livingstone added, reflecting on Kohli’s natural disposition.
“And almost kind of doesn’t want the life that he lives in India. He doesn’t really want the eyes on him all the time. He is a genuinely nice guy. When he gets out onto the pitch, he is the most competitive player I have seen.”
Kohli, in recent years, has divided his time between India and England. Before the IPL, Kohli was staying in England. Several reports claimed that it was an attempt by Kohli to escape the constant attention and frenzy that he generates.
Livingstone went on to praise the role of RCB’s Director of Cricket Mo Bobat and coach Andy Flower in the evolution of Kohli.
“Mo [Bobat] and Andy [Flower] went in and changed the way he played. They were brave enough to do that,” Livingstone said.
“They asked him to be a bit more aggressive, hit more sixes, and keep going with that aggression in the powerplay. You see the way he plays now in the powerplay, and he’s way more aggressive than he used to be. Even against spin, he’s playing more shots than he ever did.
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