Kolkata : Legendary Indian batsman Gundappa Vishwanath feels Virat Kohli should have been made the captain couple of years back . Vishy as he is popularly known as , is extremely pleased to see the way Virat have been leading the Indian test side . Thanks to Kohli’s aggressive captaincy , India secured the second spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings and held onto it till the end of 2015. Under his leadership India beat South Africa 3-0.
In an exclusive interview with Xtratime the former legendary batsman spoke about Kohli’s captaincy, the major drawbacks of Indian batsmen and about the strategies which should be applied in the upcoming series down under.
“Kohli’s brilliant record as the Indian test skipper is above all sorts of analysis and discussions. In fact, I personally feel that he should have been made the Indian test captain at least a couple of years before.” said the 2009 Col. C K Naidu Lifetime Achievement Award winner. “The Indian team would not have had such a terrible record overseas if Kohli would have been made the captain sooner.” he added.
When asked about his batting skills Vishy pointed out that Kohli’s main drawback is his lack of patience. “I was bewildered by the rash shots which got him out in the ODI and the Test series against South Africa. I did not expect such batting from a player like him.” he said.
“For India to win at home and abroad Kohli must consistently produce the innings he is known for .” said Viswanath.
Returning back to Kohli’s issue of captaincy Vishy said that “Kohli is a natural when it comes to leadership.” He even went on to compare the current India’s test captain with the former Indian greats like Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.
The man who had faced the tremendous pace bowling from the likes of Dennis Lillee, Michael Holding and others without any head or chest protection felt Kohli’s responsibility as the skipper of the Indian test squad is not affecting his batting. “Kohli’s style or quality of batting is not in any way being influenced by his duties as the Indian test captaincy. Rather he has always seemed to have enjoyed being the captain of a side.”
“I do not have any doubts about Kohli scoring runs in Australia .Dhoni should not experiment too much with the batting order of guys like Rahane and Kohli . I believe they have the best techniques to counter the fiery pace of the Aussie bowlers on the hard bouncy pitches down under.” concluded Viswanath.