Former India head coach Greg Chappell has heaped praise on Virat Kohli, saying that the 32-year-old is 'certainly one of the most influential players' at the moment. Chappell, who coached India from 2005-07, had a rather controversial stint with the national side which involved the highly-publicised tussle between him and the then skipper Sourav Ganguly.
Lauding the current Indian skipper, Chappell said that Kohli's love for Test cricket augers well for the traditional format.
“I think he’s certainly one of the best players and one of the most influential players in world cricket at the moment,” Chappel told ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ according to PTI.
“He has strong views, he’s quite happy to speak those views, he’s quite happy to put himself out there and back himself to back up his words. He loves Test cricket and while he’s playing India will treat Test cricket with respect because he has a big say in Indian cricket. That’s a good thing,” Chappell further said.
The 72-year-old Australian further pointed out that Kohli's interest to play Test cricket will be beneficial for the Indian side. Kohli, who led India to their maiden Test series win in Australia back in 2018-19, will play a key role in the upcoming four-Test series Down Under. He, however, will fly home after the first Test to be with his wife Anushka Sharma who's expecting their first child.
(With PTI inputs)
