Brett Lee Explores The Similar Captaincy Styles Of Virat Kohli And Ricky Ponting

Former Australian speedster Brett Lee has identified Virat Kohli’s style of captaincy to that of Ricky Ponting. Virat Kohli is one of the most aggressive captains as of today, which reflects not only through his body language but also field placings to keep the batsmen under check constantly. And Brett Lee feels that the same was with Ricky Ponting.

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Virat Kohli and Ricky Ponting’s gameplays are indeed vastly similar. The former Australian skipper and the current Indian captain both are exquisite fielders alongside being prolific run-getters while batting at crucial positions for their team. Their consistent run-scoring according to the situation and brilliant on-field tactics have led Brett Lee to say that their leadership styles are alike.

Brett Lee believes that everyone has got their captaincy style while asserting that Ricky Ponting and Virat Kohli have similar ones. Lee admitted that the duo has the raw aggression in them but never crosses any line.

“Everyone’s got different styles of captaincy. If you see Ricky Ponting and Virat Kohli, you could see there are some similarities between their captaincy styles. They’ve got that raw aggression, but it’s not necessarily over the rooftop,” Lee told Times of India.

The 43-year-old went on to point out that there have been occasions when every captain has gone over the top from every country. However, he enjoys Virat Kohli’s captaincy, mentioning that Kohli is passionate and is keen to do very well for the team.

“There have been times where every captain’s gone over the top from every nation. But I’ve enjoyed watching Kohli’s captaincy. Because real passion comes through. He wants to do really well for the team,” he added.

They’ve got a great ability to read the players: Brett Lee

While speaking more about Kohli, the New South Wales speedster remarked that Kohli does well with the bat too and is the same like Ponting, who held balanced aggression. Lee claimed that the pair could successfully read the players, enabling them to set fields according to that. Ultimately, their motive is to stay on top of the opposition. The 31-year old took the Test captaincy in 2014 and kept India in the top of the Test rankings for three years till April 2020.

“If you see Ricky Ponting and Virat Kohli, you could say there are some similarities between their captaincy styles. They’ve got that raw aggression, but it’s not necessarily over the top. Apart from his (Kohli) captaincy, he does well with the bat personally,” the 76-Test veteran stated.

“He is the same as Ricky Ponting. He had that real powerful aggression but not too much. There’s a nice balance, I think. They are pretty similar when it comes to captaincy. And also, they’ve got a great ability to read the players. So, you think about Ponting the way he had set the fields, very attacking fields, I see the same In Kohli. Kohli is happy to attack.” 

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