Having never played cricket professionally himself, Trent Woodhill has as demanding a job title as one could ask for. Along with being the fielding coach of IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Australian is also in charge of the ‘Batting Talent Development’.
For a side which includes arguably two of the very best batsmen going around in modern cricket in its ranks in the form of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, Woodhill couldn’t have asked for a better set of professionals to work with.
In an interview with Wisden India, Woodhill has described his amazement at working with the superstar pairing. Talking about Kohli, Woodhill believes that the India and Royal Challengers skipper deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as global sports superstars such as Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
“He’s (Kohli) the most impressive sportsman I’ve had the pleasure to work with – in any sport. He’s in the same stratosphere as Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Messi. His approach to his own cricketing career and everything involved around it is extremely professional. It’s really a pleasure to work with,” Woodhill stated.
Explaining what separated Kohli from the rest of the pack, Woodhill said, “He’s (Kohli) definitely fitter than he’s ever been. What that allows you to do is under pressure, you’re able to replicate technique and replicate movement patterns.”
Woodhill believes Kohli is on the same level as Messi and Ronaldo.
“So he’s less likely than others to play a lazy shot or not execute the way he’d like because his fitness and his mind is so sharp. And that’s where that brilliance lies. No doubt he’s extremely talented, so it’s not just hard work.”
While effervescent in his praise for Kohli, Woodhill has been equally impressed by De Villiers and believes the two batsmen are cricket’s equivalent to tennis’ all-time greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
“I first met AB in 2009 when I was at Delhi, and he trains smarter than anybody I’ve worked with. He’s mastered the art of replicating what he needs to do in a period of time in training to be able to move on. In Kohli and AB, you’ve got the Nadal and Federer of the cricket world. It’s tough to pick who is the best of them. AB and Federer share a similar DNA I think, and the same with Nadal and Kohli. The point’s never dead for Nadal, and the point’s never dead for Virat. And AB, he finds a way as Federer does, in conditions where others struggle,” he pointed out.