Kohli said he would like Tendulkar's lap shot, admitting that he was the pioneer of that shot and Kohli, himself, could not play it as well as he did. (PTI Photo)
When Sachin Tendulkar retired from international cricket in 2013, Virat Kohli was seen as one of the players to take over from him as India’s next batting leader, someone who could become the most important wicket for the opposition.
Between 2016 and 2019, Kohli became more than just that, yet in most interviews when asked about comparisons with Tendulkar, he refused to call himself a bigger player than his idol.
In a video released by his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Friday, the 37-year-old was asked in a rapid-fire round what was the one thing he would like from Tendulkar, to which he said he would like his lap shot, admitting that he was the pioneer of that shot and Kohli, himself, could not play it as well as he did.
“Everything. One thing I would like to have….the lap shot. He is the first one to have started to lap the spinners so precisely. It was smooth, never looked rushed. I am a mess playing those shots. So yeah, the smooth lap,” Kohli said in a video released by RCB on X on Friday.
Virat was asked to pick one quality from different celebrities. 👀
His answer about Sachin paaji? You’ll want to hear that. 🎥✨
This is Emmvee presents RCB Shorts.#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB pic.twitter.com/jpt1FJrimm
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) February 27, 2026
During the course of his 24-year career, Tendulkar showed he could play the lap shot to medium-pacers, often making the most of the fine leg fielder inside the boundary and creating a scoring shot opportunity.
When asked about other former cricketers and celebrities, Kohli said that he would like MS Dhoni’s contentment, he would like to have Shah Rukh Khan’s humility and Cristiano Ronaldo’s discipline.
Kohli will be next seen in action during the Indian Premier League, where he will play for RCB as the defending champions of the league, for the first time. The right-hander formed a formidable opening partnership with Phil Salt in the 2025 edition, often laying the foundation for the other batters to come in and take the team to a competitive score.
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