New Delhi, June 28 Despite being India’s most successful Test captain, many have questioned Virat Kohli’s captaincy credentials post the team’s 8-wicket loss in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand. India lost the final on the reserve day at the Rose Bowl in Southampton to miss out on another major ICC trophy under Kohli.
Under Kohli, India have become a dominant force across formats and have made it to the knockout stages of all major ICC tournaments. However, they have failed to clinch any major trophy so far which has brought Kohli’s captaincy under the scanner. While he has been facing the flak over India’s loss in the WTC final, the Indian skipper has found the backing of Pakistan wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal.
Akmal called Kohli a big player and said he has been a ‘bit unlucky’ as captain. The veteran batsman heaped praise on Kohli and said he has been a match-winner for the Indian team, over the years.
“Virat Kohli is a big player and a fantastic captain. He is aggressive and very emotional. Any captain who has come in has only taken Indian cricket forward. It started with Sourav Ganguly, then Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni took over. Yes, everyone has complained that Virat Kohli hasn’t won any ICC trophy. But, apart from that, he has won almost everything. India have won so many series’ under Virat Kohli,” Akmal said during a discussion on ‘My Master Cricket Coach’ YouTube channel.
“He has been a bit unlucky, but I have no doubt over his captaincy credentials. He is a great captain and match-winner,” he added.
Akmal feels it will be unfair to blame Kohli alone for India’s failure to win major ICC trophies since he took over as captain across formats in 2017. The Pakistan batsman questioned if any other captain can replace Kohli and guarantee an ICC trophy while suggesting the team should analyse why they are not winning big events.
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“It (India not winning ICC events) is not completely Virat Kohli’s fault. What is the guarantee that another captain can come in and win India an ICC trophy? As a team, they have to analyze why they are not winning the big events. They reach the last stages but fail at the final hurdle. It will be unfair to blame only Virat Kohli. According to me, as long as he feels that he can do the job, he should continue,” said Akmal.
After losing the WTC final, India will now shift their attention towards their upcoming Test series against England which gets underway in August this year. The Indian players are currently enjoying their break in England ahead of the five-match series against the hosts.
