"Half of the opposition players shiver seeing him" - Anil Chaudhary's stunning claim on Indian star ahead ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Former India umpire Anil Chaudhary made a stunning claim on star batter Virat Kohli ahead of the second Test between England and India. The second Test is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, July 2, at Edgbaston.

Virat Kohli recently announced his retirement from Test cricket ahead of the England tour. Talking on a Podcast with The Indian Express, Anil Chaudhary stated that Virat's retirement was a big loss to Indian cricket. The former umpire revealed how opposition players would always have an eye on what Virat was doing.

"It is a big loss to the Indian team. When Virat is in the middle the pressure that the other team feels, I can tell it because I have seen it while umpiring. Half of the opposition players shiver seeing him, I am telling you this literally. Half of the opposition team's attention is on where is Virat and what he is doing. He has a lot of impact on the opposition. Whether he scores runs or not, he is a machine in himself. And that pressure is gone now. It may have been his personal reason. I cannot tell why. It was surprising. I thought he would play this and the Australia series," he revealed. (14:11)

Anil Chaudhary further added that Virat Kohli's energy levels shocked him as an umpire. He opined that maybe Virat was not at his 100% which is why he announced his retirement from Test cricket. He said:

"Have you seen the Australians? I had gone to umpire in an exchange game. You look at their players in the morning and evening, you will not realize which session is going on. Virat has the same energy level. I sometimes get shocked seeing him that how can he stay like this the whole day. Look at his walk even. There is so much aggression and energy. So much passion. He can only play at 100%. Even he felt it was 99.9 he would have thought I cannot now. Maybe this would only be the reason." (15:27)

Virat played 123 Tests for India after making his debut in 2011, and his last match came against Australia during the 2024-25 BGT.

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Anil Chaudhary opens up on Virat Kohli's aura

Talking about Virat Kohli's aura, Anil Chaudhary opened up on the attitude change he brought about within the Indian team.

"Those who follow Virat Kohli as a player, they gain confidence and positivity from him. The attitude of not leaving the game till the end comes and not fearing from overseas teams, taking them on head to head, there has been this attitude change in the team. He has challenged everyone with his fitness levels, be it his own teammates or the opposition. He has set the benchmark very high," he said. (16:57)

Anil Chaudhary also added that having a character like Virat was important, given the amount of passion he brings, the crowd he pulls, and how the younger generation looked upto him. He added:

"He is also an entertainer. He is very alert and smart. He dances on the ground as well. I think a character like Virat is very important for cricket. Specially the young generation is mad behind him. Look at RCB. They had never won till now. Look at their fan following. The biggest reason for that is Virat Kohli. He had come to play a Ranji Trophy match in Delhi and there was so much crowd that you won't see for a Test as well. So there is something about him."

Kohli had also earlier retired from T20Is after the 2024 World Cup triumph. He will now be seen only playing ODIs and in the IPL.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava