Parthiv Patel Explains The Difference In Leadership Style Of Virat Kohli At RCB And Indian Cricket Team

Parthiv Patel has been in and around Indian cricket for almost two decades now and during the course of his journey, he has played under a plethora of captains including Sourav Ganguly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli.

Patel has played under the leadership of Virat Kohli for both the national team as well as for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Kohli has had great success as Indian captain thus far but the same cannot be said about his stint with RCB.

The Bengaluru-based franchise is yet to win an IPL title and has finished with a wooden spoon in two of the past three seasons. Opening up on the difference in the captaincy of Kohli when it comes to India and RCB, Parthiv Patel said that Kohli has limited options at RCB as compared to the national side and a captain’s aggressive nature depends on what kind of players he has at his disposal.

“Sometimes (a captain’s aggressive nature) depends upon what kind of players you have in the team. So when Virat is leading Team India you will find him to be a different captain. He has got Bumrah, Shami, and good spinners on the roster so he is always thinking wickets,” Parthiv Patel told Aakash Chopra on the latters Youtube channel.

“For RCB, he tries to make the team perform as per their capability. Also, where the team is playing matters a lot as well. If you aren’t getting help from the wicket you tend to take a defensive approach,” he added.

“For example if we keep them under 180-190 then we can try and win the game but if we try to be aggressive and concede in excess of 220 then we will be out of the game altogether. So for this reason I feel Kohli is a bit aggressive when he is captaining Team India in comparison to when he is leading RCB,” he added.

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Parthiv Patel also went on to compare the leadership styles of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma

According to Parthiv, while Dhoni and Rohit keep the dressing room calm, Virat keeps everyone on their toes courtesy his aggression.

“I think Dhoni is fully aware of every player’s potential and how much can be taken out from him. We talk about giving 100 percent, but every player’s level of 100 percent differs. So, Dhoni knows what is the potential of a player, and he brings that out. He lets them play in their own style, and gives them space to express themselves,” the 35-year-old said.

“Rohit plans really well. He figures out how to use the information that has been given to him, and which player can be used in what role – he is a master in figuring that out. He has improved a lot over the years, starting from 2014 to now, if you look at him. At man-management, Dhoni and Rohit are really good,” he added.

“Virat has a different style of captaincy, he likes to be right in front every time, he likes to be leading from the front and be aggressive all the time. It is his style and it has suited him. Dhoni and Rohit keeps the dressing room calm while Virat makes sure that everyone is on their toes and they all keep pushing themselves.” Parthiv Patel reckoned.

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