Former Australia captain Ian Chappell praised Indian captain Virat Kohli and his captaincy. He said that his emotions actually work for him and the team. Under Kohli’s leadership, India won 33 Tests, thus he became the most successful Test captain in history.
“When he first became captain, especially of the Test team, I thought his highly emotional temperament might be detrimental to his leadership. Instead, he has ensured his emotions work for him and not against the team. This is in line with his clear-thinking approach to the game. To hear Kohli talk about batting, and particularly his rationale for eschewing the innovative short-form shots (he doesn’t want them to corrupt his Test-match style), is to listen to a master who comprehends his craft,” Ian Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.
“As their captain in all three international formats, the versatile Virat Kohli deserves a lot of credit for creating this winning mentality. When a captain leads a side successfully on a regular basis, especially by occasionally plucking victory from the jaws of defeat, the team begin to believe he is a miracle worker. Kohli has earned the respect of the team as an inspiring leader and they expect good things to happen with him in charge,” he further added.
Ian Chappell also added that the growth of youngsters like Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul is possible because of Virat Kohli sets a high standard for himself and also for the team.
“There is also greater depth now in Indian cricket, and this applies to the fast-bowling stocks as well as the traditionally strong areas of batting and spin bowling. There are signs that young batsmen like KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are maturing quickly, and this is not surprising, given when regularly see the high standards Kohli sets,” he said.
However, Virat Kohli led India thrashed New Zealand in the five-match T20I series by 5-0. They will now play the three-match ODI series and following that, they will play two Tests as well.
