PLAYING alongside Virat Kohli hasn’t necessarily changed Shane Watson’s opinion of the Indian superstar.
Watson still thinks Kohli has a burning desire to win at all costs that can often rub opposition players the wrong way.
The only difference is now Watson absolutely laps it up.
Kohli and Watson have gone from foes to friends by sharing the Royal Challengers Bangalore dressing room in the Indian Premier League.
They form part of arguably the most imposing batting order seen in modern cricket, one that also features West Indies slugger Chris Gayle and South African genius AB de Villiers.
Watson didn’t appear to have any run-ins with de Villiers in international cricket but the same can’t be said for the Australian all-rounder’s relationships with Kohli and Gayle.
Watson was involved in verbal spats with both men in the past, even earning the ire of Gayle after passing comment on the Jamaican following his infamous “don’t blush baby” interview during last summer’s Big Bash League.
However things have changed drastically since Watson was bought by Bangalore for a whopping $1.98 million at the IPL auction in February. He and Gayle appeared to bury the hatchet a short time later when they crossed paths at the Pakistan Super League in the UAE.
Watson’s relationship with Kohli has also improved remarkably since they teamed up in the IPL.
Like most members of Australia’s national side over the past few years, Watson had plenty of verbal battles with Kohli during matches.
Yet they’re now singing from the same hymn sheet, with Watson in awe of Kohli’s ability both as a captain and a leader.
“Yeah of course,” Watson told former England batsman Mark Butcher on Sky Sports, when asked if he’d had any run-ins with Kohli in the past. “We had our moments at times.”
“But the thing that I’ve just seen at close quarters is he’s incredible passion for the game of cricket but also for winning.
“That’s the reason why he’s so consistently good is he’s just got this deep down burning ambition to be the best and for everyone else around him to be the best as well, which is an incredible thing to see.
“But when you’re playing against it – it got my back up a little bit.”
Watson has performed well under Kohli’s leadership at Bangalore particularly with the ball, with the Aussie currently sixth on the tournament wickets list having taken 14 scalps at an average of 25.78.
Kohli’s inventive captaincy has seen the veteran all-rounder mainly used in one-over bursts, something Watson has thrived on.
“I am happy to bowl anywhere Virat (needs me),” Watson told reporters earlier this month.
“He instils lot of confidence in me, he lets me sort of choose the balls and allows me to set my fields accordingly as well - with his input a lot of the time as well. It’s been great to work under him and he’s using me very nicely.”
Another talent of Watson’s that seems to have thrived in India is his singing.
The budding guitarist-vocalist has performed on occasion in IPL’s gone by but appears to have stepped things up this year.
Last month he performed a duet with de Villiers’ wife Danielle and now he’s been filmed strumming and singing alongside an equally enthusiastic Butcher, who played 71 Tests for England before turning his attention to TV punditry - and acoustic guitars, it seems.
