Sachin Tendulkar deserves Bharat Ratna: Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, who earlier had said that Sachin Tendulkar was the reason why he started playing cricket, on Thursday batted for the Master Blaster and stressed that the legend deserved country's highest civilian award - the Bharat Ratna.

"He (Tendulkar) really deserves Bharat Ratna. Whatever he has done, I don't think anyone else can even be close to achieve (100 hundreds in international cricket) what he achieved in last 22 years - - it is something impossible," Kohli told reporters, after signing as Brand Ambassador to Toyota Kirloskar Motor, says a report in the Indian Express.

The clamour for honouring the Little Master with Bharat Ratna intensified after Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told the state Assembly that his government would recommend Tendulkar's name for the highest civilian award. The demands for the award have found a vocal support across all sections of the society, both national and international.

Excited about this year's IPL, Kohli said unlike last IPL, he is pretty relaxed during this edition with string of good performances behind him in the international arena. "I am really excited about this year's IPL. I am feeling relaxed this time around because in last IPL, I wanted to prove a point. IPL 3 was not that great performance wise," he said, according to media reports.

Over the last year, Virat Kohli has revealed many shades of his personality, writes The Hindu, adding that from being a nascent talent, he is now acknowledged as the man who could shape Indian cricket's future. The unbeaten 133 at Hobart and the 183 in Dhaka have further built his aura.
“And, on Thursday, Kohli showed that he is equally adept at handling off-field commitments like corporate forays and branding exercises. Signed up as Toyota Kirloskar's ambassador, the Indian team's vice-captain said the company's consistency was an attribute that he tried to follow on the cricket field.”

Talk soon veered to the IPL, Kohli said: “Last time I wanted to really prove a point as I hadn't done well before. This time I have done well so far and I am much more relaxed and really looking forward to the IPL.”