SA vs IND 2018: Virat Kohli is a Shrewd Cricketer, says Former England Captain

Former England captain Mike Brearley has picked Virat Kohli as one of his three favourite captains of all-time.

At the occasion of his book release, the Englishman mentioned the names of Ray Illingworth, Ian Chappell and Kohli when it comes to choosing his top-3 captains. The Indian skipper helped India end South Africa’s 17-game winning streak at home with an impressive six-wicket win in the 1st ODI.

The 29-year old scored a match-winning hundred and forged a stand of 189 runs with Ajinkya Rahane to go one up in the series. It was his 33rd ODI ton, which means the skipper has got a three-figure score in each of the Test-playing countries.

I Admire Kohli: Brearley

“I haven’t been close enough to (Virat) Kohli, but I admire him enormously, he has given the team pride and aggression. He is always attentive, keen-eyed, he is a wonderful batsman, and he is shrewd,” said Brearley, who led England in 31 out of his 39 Test matches.

Kohli Should be Kept in Check: Brearley

Brearley feels Kohli shouldn’t be surrounded by ‘yes-men’ and that his tactics should be questioned too for his own good.

“A leader of a country should be kept in check. He needs to have people he listens to and people who tells him where he’s getting things wrong. Kennedy used to have a group of people who’s job was to criticise his policies, that seems to be very healthy.”

On being asked if India is ready to tour England for a competitive series, Brearley said,

“India have got a very good team. I was impressed with how they stuck at it in the last innings in Johannesburg in the field and their batting on difficult pitches was against good quality bowling.”

On Kohli’s style of captaincy, where he keeps on chopping and changing his playing XI in Test matches, the 76-year-old said,

“I find it extraordinary, and probably because it is unsettling to the team when you have too many changes. Maybe what is come in with T20 cricket is greater openness to variability.”

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