Australian Legend Surprised By Virat Kohli's Rise As Captain

Virat Kohli’s rise as captain has been as remarkable as his rise as the best batsman in the world. Not many would have thought that Virat Kohli would excel as captain when he replaced MS Dhoni as the Test captain on the tour of Australia in 2014 and then the ODI and T20I captain in 2017.

But Virat Kohli loves to prove his detractors wrong and he did the same with the captaincy too. India are at the top of Test rankings for over three years now and are looking almost invincible. Their performance in ODIs and T20Is is also stunning. Last year, India won their first-ever Test and ODI series win in Australia and made it to the semifinal of the World Cup.

Last month, Virat Kohli led the team to its first-ever T20I series win in New Zealand. Currently leading the series 4-0, India could inflict a famous whitewash on the Kiwis. The way Virat Kohli has fared as captain so far, it has taken everyone by surprise and former Australia captain Ian Chappell is not an exception either.

Writing in his column for ESPNCricinfo, Ian Chappell lavished praise on Virat Kohli. Chappell wrote that he doubted Kohli would excel as captain because of his emotional temperament.

“India currently hold a commanding lead in the World Test Championship standings and are on a roll with seven consecutive Test match victories, the last four by an innings. They are also coming off an ODI series victory over Australia and six consecutive T20I wins, including two consecutive pulsating Super Over thrillers against New Zealand. In other words, winning has become a habit for them,” wrote Ian Chappell.

“As their captain in all three international formats, the versatile Virat Kohli deserves a lot of credit for creating this winning mentality. When a captain leads a side successfully on a regular basis, especially by occasionally plucking victory from the jaws of defeat, the team begin to believe he is a miracle worker. Kohli has earned the respect of the team as an inspiring leader and they expect good things to happen with him in charge.

“When he first became captain, especially of the Test team, I thought his highly emotional temperament might be detrimental to his leadership. Instead, he has ensured his emotions work for him and not against the team. This is in line with his clear-thinking approach to the game,” he added.

Also Read: Watch: Pumped Up Virat Kohli Taunts New Zealand Fans