Sunil Gavaskar reveals special non-technical aspect of Virat Kohli which makes him player of different class

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Batting great Sunil Gavaskar has said that Virat Kohli's special ability to assess the pitch makes him a player of different class. The statement from Gavaskar comes after Virat Kohli's brave outings on a very difficult Cape Town surface which saw India vs South Africa second Test finish inside two days (642 balls).

After South Africa were bundled out for 55, Virat Kohli top-scored for India in the first innings with 46 off 59 balls. The attacking innings consisted of six fours and a six. He hit two beautiful boundaries in the second innings as well, making batting look extremely easy on the seaming Newlands track.

Virat Kohli was impressive in the first Test in Centurion as well. He hit four thumping boundaries before getting out for 38 off 64 in the first innings where he finished as second-highest run-scorer for India. In the second innings, Kohli scored 76 off 82 as Indian were bowled out for 131. He finishes the series as the second-highest run-scorer.

While speaking on Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar stated that Kohli's ability to assess the pitch helps him in playing his shots freely and without any doubt in his mind.

"This was a two-match series, the Test matches lasted four-and-a-half days, which means it was a series that lasted less than a Test match. However, there also Virat Kohli looked the most comfortable batter because Kohli has the special ability to assess the pitch.

"He figures out how to play and how not to play, when to play shots and when not to play, and because of that, when he was batting, especially here (Cape Town), it seemed like it was a different pitch," Gavaskar said.

"The batters were struggling at the other end. They weren't able to understand whether to go forward or back and how to play when the ball was bouncing. It didn't seem like that at all when Virat Kohli was playing. He got out to his first mistake. It is evident when a player is of a different class," he added.

Sunil Gavaskar also noted that Virat Kohli was more still while facing deliveries now. He also explained how the star batter has left behind his habit of chasing deliveries outside off-stump.

"Firstly, his head is absolutely still. Secondly, when he was in slight trouble two years ago, I felt he was doing too much initial movement. Now he is doing only a slight movement because of which a little bit of the off-stump is seen.

"Earlier he was going outside the off-stump and because of that he was playing distant deliveries and getting out. Now his right eye is above the off-stump, so he comes to know whether to play the ball or not. That is why he is very certain outside the off-stump," Sunil Gavaskar said.