Melbourne [Australia], October 23 : Former Australian cricketer Greg Chappell hailed Indian batting legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, hailing their legacies in international cricket, saying that what they have given to the sport "cannot be fully measured in runs, centuries or wins".
Rohit and Virat are currently one-format players, competing in the ongoing three-match ODI series in Australia. While Rohit bounced back with a solid 73 at Adelaide following a single-digit score at Perth, Virat is having a rough time with two successive ducks.
Speaking on Kohli first, Chappell described him as "never just a batter, he was movement" and noted how by the time he was a full-time ODI captain, he had brought a "warriors' mindset" to the team and turned them into a "sharp, focused and supremely fit unit that played to win, home or away".
"Kohli was never just a batter, he was a movement. He arrived on the ODI scene in 2008 with raw promise, and by 2017, when he was full-time captain in the format, he had seized the reins of a side in transition and reshaped it. He brought what few dared to - a warrior's mindset. He turned India's ODI side into a sharp, focused and supremely fit unit that played to win, home or away," said Chappell as quoted by ESPNCricinfo in his column.
The former Indian coach also hailed Virat's focus on the outcome rather than centuries and personal runs, saying that his "currency was legacy, not numbers".
"But what truly set him apart, even from the legends who came before him, was his detachment from personal statistics. While the world raved about centuries and aggregates, Kohli cared only about the outcome. He once said that he played for India, not for records - a statement that defined his leadership. Individual feats were often the focal point of India's cricketing narrative; Kohli sought something larger. His currency was legacy, not numbers," he said.
Chappell also hailed both player's "love and devotion to Test cricket" and how in an age where players chased "leagues, fame, and IPL contracts", 'Ro-Ko' were naturals who became faces of their franchises, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for over a decade.
He also pointed out how both stars were not "trying to be viral, but vital".
"But beyond individual brilliance in ODIs lay something rarer: their love of and devotion to Test cricket. Kohli was not shy about it - he spoke often, and passionately, about the purity of the format. He made it cool again to care about playing in whites. Rohit, through his transformation, showed that Test cricket rewards those who respect its tempo. In an age where players often chase leagues, fame, and IPL contracts, Kohli and Rohit were naturals who became the face of their franchises for over a decade. No matter the format, they dominated. They were never trying to be viral. They were trying to be vital," said Chappell.
Chappell also said that while the game moves forward with rise of new names and captains, the "Kohli-Rohit era" will "remain engraved not just in record books but in the hearts of every fan who understood what they stood for".
"Kohli's passion, his refusal to settle, his belief in legacy over statistics. Rohit's elegance, his humility, and his redemption arc, which reminded us all that timing is everything - in cricket, and in life. What they gave the game cannot be fully measured in runs or centuries or wins. They gave it belief, dignity, and character - which, as Bo Bennett reminded us, is the true measure of success," he added.