Yuvraj reveals why Kohli was picked ahead of Rohit for 2011 World Cup

Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh ravishes praise on Virat Kohli, with whom he went on to win the 2011 World Cup. Yuvraj said while deciding between Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the team decided to pick the former for the mega event as he was scoring runs. Kohli made his debut in 2008 had scored 1,672 runs at 46.44, which included four centuries and 12 fifties from 42 innings. 

Though Rohit made his debut a year before Kohli, had managed 1,248 runs at 27.13. He was considered a middle-order batsman back then and a rival for the No. 4 spot in the Indian batting line-up, which eventually went to Kohli given his better record.

Speaking of the difference in Kohli from 2011 to now, Yuvraj said, "Huge difference (since 2011). Virat showed some great promise when he came on board. The moment he got the opportunities, he grabbed them. That's how he took a spot in the World Cup (squad) because he was very young at that time. And it was between him and Rohit. At that time, Virat was scoring runs. That's the reason, Virat got the spot. And compared to now, there is a complete change in him," Yuvraj told TimesofIndia.com.

Considered to be the best batsman in the world now, Kohli has dominated world cricket for over a decade and has accumulated more than 70 international centuries. While there are often questions over his captaincy, there is no denying that as a batsman, he will go down as one of the all-time greats.

Yuvraj says Kohli is just 30 and is already a legend of the game.  "I have seen him grow and train in front of me. He was probably the hardest worker, very disciplined with his diet, very disciplined with his training. When he was scoring runs, you could see that he is somebody who wants to be the best player in the world. He had that kind of attitude. He has got that swag," Yuvraj further said. "He was scoring a lot of runs and then he became captain. Sometimes you get bogged down, but when he became captain, his consistency became even better. At almost 30, he had achieved a lot of things," Yuvraj said.

"People become legends when they retire. At 30, he (Virat) already became a legend. It was really great to watch him grow as a cricketer. Hope he finishes on a high. Because he has got a lot of time," he added.

Along with being a top-class player, Kohli is also considered one of the best Indian captains ever. With Rohit as his deputy in limited-overs, India have gone on to dominate white-ball cricket over for the better part of a decade.