Jacques Kallis is an undisputed legend of the game. A quiet, unassuming cricketer who lets his bat (and the ball) do all the talking, Kallis has cemented his place among the all-time greats with consistently amazing performances in all disciplines of the game. From being thought of as purely a Test batsman, Kallis has proved all doubters wrong with his ODI form and more recently, his IPL stint. In his 1st season with the Kolkata Knight Riders, Kallis scored the most runs for his team, 424 in all, besides chipping in with 7 useful wickets and 9 catches.
Kallis is most certainly an awe-inspiring cricketer, even if it’s just for the way he has gone about his career. In almost 2 decades of cricket, Kallis has amassed 11,000+ runs and 270+ wickets in both the traditional forms of the game. These figures will likely remain unsurpassed and they present an enormous challenge for any young cricketer who looks to emulate his role model, King Kallis! But, the essential point is that despite breaking all those records, Kallis doesn’t have an air of superiority about him. He remains available for friendly advice and conversation to all his teammates, young and old.
Kallis has proved that technique and temperament are crucial in any form of the game, even when fans and pundits expect the meticulous South African to start swinging his bat at everything when he steps into a T20 game. Kallis has always had the unique ability to mold the game to suit his requirements, when everyone else is going in a different direction. As he steps into his 18th year of international cricket and prepares to be honoured by Cricket South Africa for his contribution to the nation’s cricket and the Everest of statistics he has compiled, Kallis has already set his sights on the future, hoping to win his first ODI World Cup in 2015. The measure of his greatness can be gained from this humble quote, "No place is guaranteed in any side so I've got to carry on putting in the results as no individual is more important than the game.”
Kallis has already cemented his place as a fan favourite among KKR fans with his performances last season and the crowd at Eden Gardens eagerly anticipates his exploits in this season’s IPL.
Kallis is most certainly an awe-inspiring cricketer, even if it’s just for the way he has gone about his career. In almost 2 decades of cricket, Kallis has amassed 11,000+ runs and 270+ wickets in both the traditional forms of the game. These figures will likely remain unsurpassed and they present an enormous challenge for any young cricketer who looks to emulate his role model, King Kallis! But, the essential point is that despite breaking all those records, Kallis doesn’t have an air of superiority about him. He remains available for friendly advice and conversation to all his teammates, young and old.
Kallis has proved that technique and temperament are crucial in any form of the game, even when fans and pundits expect the meticulous South African to start swinging his bat at everything when he steps into a T20 game. Kallis has always had the unique ability to mold the game to suit his requirements, when everyone else is going in a different direction. As he steps into his 18th year of international cricket and prepares to be honoured by Cricket South Africa for his contribution to the nation’s cricket and the Everest of statistics he has compiled, Kallis has already set his sights on the future, hoping to win his first ODI World Cup in 2015. The measure of his greatness can be gained from this humble quote, "No place is guaranteed in any side so I've got to carry on putting in the results as no individual is more important than the game.”
Kallis has already cemented his place as a fan favourite among KKR fans with his performances last season and the crowd at Eden Gardens eagerly anticipates his exploits in this season’s IPL.
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