Virat Kohli has the right game, but no one can step into Dravid’s shoes: Kumble

Former Indian skipper Anil Kumble thinks that though Virat Kohli has the right game and has matured a lot as a player to take on the vacant Number 3 slot in the team, nevertheless it will be impossible for anyone to step into the shoes of Rahul Dravid, who retired a fortnight ago.

According to a news report in Hindustan Times, the legendary leg-spinner said there is no one who can replace ‘The Wall’. “There is no one who can replace Rahul Dravid. He has been an achiever for past 16 years and it's certainly not easy to score 23,000 international runs,” Kumble added.

However, Kuble feels that Virat has matured as a player. “I am impressed in the manner he has improved in the past one year in terms of game, discipline and overall fitness,” Kumble said, adding that he has quickly adapted to rigours of international cricket and for a 23-year-old to do that is phenomenal. “He has a Test hundred in Australia and I believe he has the right game to fit in at No 3,” the former Indian captain said.

Meanwhile a report in The Times Of India says that Rahul Dravid excelled in both cricket and hockey but when the time came for him to make a choice, he chose his first love — cricket. “I loved playing hockey. I was part of what was a very strong St. Joseph’s team. I played centre-half and right-half. I also made it to the State U-15 camp, but at the same time the U-15 cricket camp was also on. I had to make a decision but for me it wasn’t really a choice. Cricket was what I loved; hockey was just fun,” Dravid said, thanking his school principal Fr. Coelho, who played a vital role in his career.

“He is a very important person in my life. He played an important role at a critical stage in my development as a cricketer. My parents were worried that I was missing classes, exams etc,” he recalled.