‘Aggressive Kohli in Sourav’s mould’
Noted coach Rajkumar Sharma, who played a pivotal role in shaping up Virat Kohli’s career, feels that his ward’s aggressive captaincy resembles a lot with Sourav Ganguly’s methods but insisted that he should also learn the ropes from current skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
“Virat is an aggressive player by nature. He is someone who always likes to attack and take the opposition head on which is also reflected in his captaincy. For me, Virat belongs to the Sourav Ganguly ‘School of captaincy’ which is to attack the opposition from the word ‘go’,” Sharma said.
Just like any concerned coach, Sharma is also aware that aggression should be blended with caution which is the hallmark of a good captain.
“I am all for aggressive captaincy but I believe that he should also know the line that one shouldn’t overstep. If he does that, then I come into picture to make him aware,” Sharma analysed.
Kohli, in his maiden stint as India captain has led the team to the final of the tri-series in the West Indies but his coach doesn’t want his ward to be pushed into the hot seat.“Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an exceptional captain and I believe that Virat still has a lot to learn from Dhoni although no two persons are the same and their thought process is bound to be different. I feel that till Dhoni is playing, he is the best man to lead India and Virat will certainly get it when his turn comes around,” Sharma opined.
However the former first-class cricketer doesn’t believe that age should be a criteria while selecting a captain.
“Age has nothing do with captaincy. It’s more about how good one is when it comes to analysing match situation, reacting to it and also about leading from the front with good performances.”
The coach also believes Virat has come of age in the past couple of years and is more confident about his game.
“He had some problems but that was way back in 2008 during IPL 1. After that, he understood his mistakes and also worked hard on his game. He has matured a lot and that’s for everyone to see,” Sharma said.
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