"Anger was somewhere simmering" - Sanjay Bangar's huge claim as he compares Virat Kohli to Bollywood superstar

Former Team India cricketer Sanjay Bangar recently highlighted similarities between ace batter Virat Kohli's career and Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan's 'angry young man' era. He noted that Kohli naturally had an in-your-face attitude.

Bangar pointed out that the onus was on Kohli to take Indian cricket forward after the retirements of icons like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. He remarked that the former captain succeeded in doing so and changed India's image with his aggression.

The cricketer-turned-commentator remarked in a video posted by DD Sports on Instagram on Sunday, September 7:

"Virat Kohli has a natural character, like brash, in your face, and that was his natural character. A natural character always feels right. Why did Amitabh Bachchan's films work in the 1975-1980 era? It was because there was this thought of an angry young man, and in the Indian society, anger was somewhere simmering.

"Indian cricket needed some aggression because our fabulous four had retired, and Kohli had to take cricket forward, which he did in his own style. He changed India's image completely in how they approach Test cricket."

Notably, Bangar has worked closely with Kohli in the past. He served as India's batting coach from 2014 to 2019. He was later roped in by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as a batting consultant for the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL). He was named as the RCB head coach for the 2022 and 2023 editions.

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"He made Rohit practice on cement pitches" - Sanjay Bangar on Rohit Sharma's childhood coach's role in acing the pull shot

India's ODI captain Rohit Sharma is widely considered one of the best players of the pull shot. Sanjay Bangar opined that the opening batter's childhood coach, Dinesh Lad, has played a significant role in that.

He suggested that Lad made Sharma bat on cement pitches during his younger days, which helped him develop the pull shot. The 52-year-old told DD Sports:

"Rohit Sharma's unique style is because he trusts the bounce and turns around while playing the shot. I know his coach Dinesh Lad very well. He is with the Railways now. He made Rohit practice on cement pitches.

"The plus point of practicing on cement pitches is that you trust the bounce. Your game develops based on the conditions you play in. Similarly, Rohit Sharma's game and especially that shot developed really well."

Both Sharma and Kohli are currently active in only one international format, ODIs. They are likely to be seen in action next during the Men in Blue's three-match away ODI series against Australia, beginning October 19.