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The energy and the aggression Virat Kohli carries in every match make him one of a kind in modern-day cricket. While the aggressive attitude makes him stand out as a personality from the others in the field, it could be problematic for him and for the team he plays for, as the former South Africa cricketer Jonty Rhodes feels.
Amid the ongoing India vs Afghanistan ODI series, Rhodes discussed Kohli. He opines on the much-discussed Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar debate as well during the interaction.
Jonty Rhodes evaluates Virat Kohli as a fielder
Jonty Rhodes observes that Virat Kohli’s approach was different from MS Dhoni’s approach from the captaincy point of view. The former cricketer, who was regarded as one of the best fielders in his generation, reckoned Virat as a good fielder but not the best. Why does he not rate the star cricketer as high as the fielder? Mostly because of the aggression.
Rhodes says that sometimes when the match goes out of the hands, the aggression of Virat Kohli has no effect.
'He is overly aggressive'
"It was so different from MS, from a captaincy point of view. But it's consistent. Virat Kohli, when he bats, when he's in the field, when he's captain, that is what he does. When I am watching him as a fielding coach, I watch him. He's not the best fielder in India, but he's a great fielder. His energy is incredible,” Jonty Rhodes said during a conversation on Prakhar Gupta's YouTube channel.
“My only concern is that when he is overly aggressive, it's great when everything is going well. But if things aren't going well for the team, where does that aggression go? It's too easy then to come out in a dressing room environment," he added on the same flow.
While he was asked about the Virat Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar debate, the Protea cricket legend states that the debate is needless to carry on as both of them are from different eras, and achieved a lot in their own terms.
Rhodes ends the Virat vs Sachin Tendulkar debate
According to the stats, Virat Kohli, on paper, might be ahead of Sachin Tendulkar, but the comparison is irrelevant as the game has changed a lot over the years. Instead of comprising the greats, Rhodes suggests to celebrate facts that India has produced two generational batters.
"There is so much cricket. He's not getting downtime. I know he's playing only franchise cricket in India. But there's not a lot of downtime. His body, he's stronger and mentally and physically, he's in such great shape that he could be better than Tendulkar from a records point of view,” Jonty Rhodes said.
“I could ask the question a lot. Who's better? But why are you even trying to compare them? Isn't it amazing that India has produced these two most amazing generational batters? Straight after each other… it should be celebrated rather than compared. One country has these two players that, between them, have inspired billions,” he concluded the debate.
