Virat on Ponting Interview: “You Do Not Need to Be a Captain to Be the Leader”
Virat on Ponting Interview: Virat Kohli has said one does not need to be a captain to be the “leader” of the group. Kohli recently stepped down as India’s Test captain, bringing his seven-year tenure as Indian captain to an end. Kohli took the call after India lost the Test series 2-1 in South Africa.
Last year, the Delhi batsman was removed from the role of India’s One-Day International (ODI) captain soon after he had quit as India’s Twenty20 International (T20I) skipper. The selectors wanted just one captain for the limited-overs formats. We have best cricket betting tips and tricks coming from experts.
“See, I think firstly you need to have a complete understanding of what you set out to achieve and whether you have achieved those targets or not. Everything has a tenure and time period, so you have to be aware of it. As a batter, you might be able to give more to the team, so take pride in that,” said Kohli on an episode of ‘Fireside Chat with VK’.
MS Dhoni, who was one of the best captains Indian cricket has ever had, had passed over the baton to Kohli; first in Tests in December 2014, and then in limited-overs in 2017.
Virat on Ponting Interview: “I always thought like a captain when I was just a player”
“You do not need to be a captain to be the leader. When MS Dhoni was in the team, it was not like he was not the leader, he was still the guy from whom we wanted to have inputs.
To win or not win is not in your hands, the striving for excellence and to be better every day, is not something you can do short term. When it comes to a culture, it will last beyond your playing years and your responsibility,” he added.
Further talking about his viewpoint, Kohli said: “To add to that, moving on is also a part of leadership, to understand the right time to do that. I think one has to embrace all kinds of roles and opportunities. I have played under MS Dhoni for a while and then I became the captain, my mindset has been the same all this while. Always thought like a captain when I was just a player in the team.” Check our new cricket prediction for upcoming match.
“I think, it is very important to be aware of what you think about yourself. At the end of the day, if you have more responsibility, you know you can have a different vision so you need to stay true to yourself. If I know my game is not where it should be, then I do not need someone to push me, I am myself aware of it.
“Communication is the most important thing, you cannot someone cut off saying I do not need your point of view, you can respectfully say I am in a good space and if there is help to be taken, then I will reach out to you. That sort of balance has worked out for me,” he added.
Virat Kohli: As a captain, I wanted the team to believe we could win anywhere
Opening up on the team culture within the Indian cricket team, Kohli said,” Culture is a very difficult thing to change but I have experienced in any field in India it is important to set the culture from the top and that is how things have had an impact in our society. When I became the captain, my focus was on cultural change.
“I knew we do not lack in skill, I was thinking about maximizing the talent to its potential. I wanted to not confine my vision and if you want to expand it, then you need culture. Culture requires you to work hard every day. It is a constant process, culture is more important than strategy. As a captain, I was more focused on trying to bring in a culture of we are capable of winning from anywhere,” the 33-year-old batsman further explained.
In Test cricket especially, Kohli is the most successful Indian captain. He captained the most number of Tests among the other Indian captains (68) and no other captain won more Tests than him (40).
Under Kohli’s captaincy, India suffered defeats only in five of the 24 series. Kohli-led India won 16 out of their 36 overseas Tests and had a fine win percentage of 44.44, the highest for an Indian or Asian skipper who has led their side in at least 10 Tests.
Team India is gearing up for a home series against West Indies, starting next month. India and West Indies are going to lock horns in three ODIs and three T20Is. Here are some best betting apps for android. Do check it here.
