TOI Exclusive: ‘Virat Kohli will be sorely missed on Test stage’ | Cricket News

Brad Haddin says retired stalwart left his biggest imprint on the five-day gameJAIPUR: Virat Kohli made the biggest impact on the Test stage and the format will sorely miss him, feels former Australia cricketer Brad Haddin, now assistant coach of Punjab Kings.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Former wicketkeeper-batter Haddin, who had some heated exchanges with Kohli in the past, says Kohli’s passion for the high-stakes moments made him stand out. Who’s that IPL player?“It was just his willingness to compete,” Haddin told TOI in an exclusive interaction. “Kohli was a once-in-a-generation player and he changed the way the game was played with how he presented himself physically. The thing that drew Australians to Kohli was his sheer passion for the big moments.“He enjoyed coming up against teams like Australia, South Africa and England when they were at their peak and it brought the best out of him,” Haddin said.Kohli’s captaincy debut in the 2014 Adelaide Test was marked by confrontations with both Mitchell Johnson and Haddin. The batter responded with twin centuries to showcase his resilience and dogged ability to chase victory, though India eventually faltered.“He’s going to be sorely missed in Test cricket. I think that was his greatest format, where he had the biggest impact,” Haddin said.

‘Iyer a caring captain’Haddin, who has been with the Punjab Kings franchise since 2022, also praised captain Shreyas Iyer for his leadership role. “One thing that impressed me is his care for his playing group. He’s got a really clear message in what he delivers to the players and he lives those habits all the time. The players got an enormous amount of respect for him,” Haddin said.Haddin also highlighted the strong partnership between head coach Ricky Ponting and Iyer, saying, “They’ve had a great relationship since their time in Delhi. They work well together.”