File image of Virat Kohli
Former Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir on Monday opined that present Indian skipper Virat Kohli might have broken a plethora of records with his run tally across formats, but the latter still has a lot to achieve as a captain.
Speaking to Star Sports’ Cricket Connected, Gambhir said, "You can keep scoring your own runs. There are people like Brian Lara who’s got so many runs. People like Jacques Kallis who have won nothing, Virat Kohli, at the moment, has won nothing to be honest, as a leader.”
“He has a lot to achieve. He can keep scoring his own runs. But for me, in a team sport, till the time you don’t win those big trophies, you will never be considered... probably you will never fulfill your entire career,” Gambhir further said.
Kohli too had expressed his obsession over winning a trophy as a captain. As a leader, he has captained India in the 2017 Champions Trophy and 2019 World Cup. While he team lost in final against Pakistan in 2017 Champions Trophy, the Men in Blue suffered a semifinal exit in the last quadrennial tournament. Besides, Kohli is yet to win the IPL title as well despite his imperious record as a batsman.
Gambhir also advised him to not compare his level of intensity with others as each player has their own individual strength.
“He’s different from the rest. Probably a lot of other people might not have the same ability that Virat Kohli has. As a leader, the most important quality which he needs to have is start taking players as they are. Don’t compare them, or don’t compare their intensity to his intensity. Because every individual is different,” Gambhir said.
“Mohammed Shami can never be Jasprit Bumrah. Or Ishant Sharma can never be Jasprit Bumrah. Or KL Rahul can never be Virat Kohli. For that matter, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, all these guys probably can never match to Virat Kohli’s intensity, and talent as well,” he added.
“But how to get the best out of them, and figuring out those situations will help him, and prepare him the best for the world titles, and that is only when they can actually win it,” the former India batsman further said.
