The Team Was Not That Aggressive Under Virat Kohli, He Was Incredibly Aggressive On The Field: Aakash Chopra On The Former Indian Captain's Leadership

Aakash Chopra has stated that the Indian team under Virat Kohli was not as aggressive as their captain’s attitude on the field of play.

Kohli stepped down as skipper of the national squad in the shortest format of the game following the T20 World Cup last year. He was later replaced as the Men in Blue’s ODI captain and relinquished the helm in Test cricket as well.

Chopra discussed the leadership philosophies of several team captains in a video posted to his YouTube channel.

Regarding Kohli, he stated: “I want to do this”, was Virat Kohli’s main point of attention. A lot of it has to do with wanting to lead by example. Although the team was not as aggressive under Virat Kohli, he was incredibly aggressive on the field, in your face, and never took a step back.”

Aakash Chopra believes the Indian team misinterpreted the former captain’s call for intent and explains:

“That is an intriguing point: he was aggressive on his own, but the team was not. There could be several reasons for this. He mentioned intent several times, but we saw Cheteshwar Pujara get run out twice in one match. As a result, the word ‘intent’ was possibly misunderstood.”

Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli’s Test captaincy:

The format of Test cricket was changed by Kohli’s insistence on using five bowlers, as per Aakash Chopra.

He clarified: “Because Kohli (the team’s captain) used five bowlers throughout a Test match, he altered the rules of cricket in the way his team played. Although the team’s level of aggression is another matter entirely, the philosophy was aggressive there.”

About Test match cricket, Kohli has always favoured the advancement of the sport. Instead of lingering at the crease to wear out the opposing bowlers, he wanted the Indian batters to demonstrate their desire to score runs.

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