Asia Cup: Kapil Dev explains why Virat Kohli is 'a bigger player than anyone else in last 10 years'

Virat Kohli returned to international cricket after a long time during India's Asia Cup 2022 opener versus Pakistan, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, on Sunday (August 28). The 33-year-old's form has been talked about a lot in the last few months. The right-hander's last international century came in late 2019 whereas he had an ordinary IPL 2022 followed by a dismal tour of England, where he ended without a half-century across formats.

Against Pakistan, Kohli came out to bat after KL Rahul got out for a golden duck in India's pursuit of 148. He stitched a handy 49-run second-wicket stand with skipper Rohit Sharma. Eventually, the former Indian captain fell for a 34-ball 35 but showed promise of returning to form with some impressive shots.

India's 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev opined on Kohli and lauded him for his attitude for sticking out in the middle versus Pakistan during a tricky phase of the run-chase. In addition, he mentioned his attitude as the biggest factor which makes him a bigger player than anyone else in the last ten years.

"Good to see him come back. I saw a couple of shots where he really made an impact. I just want him to be more sure about that. So far, he is coming back, he looked good. He was lucky in the first over when he was dropped. I like his attitude not only today, but from the last ten years. This makes him a bigger player than anyone else," Kapil told ANI.

On Kohli's form, Kapil asserted, "It is much bigger than anything else. No player will get runs in every match, no player will get a zero in every match. I think with his ability, his talent, it should not take him that long to come back in form. Just waiting for one big knock, he will be back, I have no doubt about it."