SA vs IND 2018: Michael Holding Opens Up About the Ongoing Series

Legendary West Indian fast-bowler Michael Holding has never backed out when it comes to expressing his views about the cricketing action going around.

A day after Holding said Kohli needs to score runs in England to become a great player, he added he is a fantastic player, but he still has a lot of work to do as a captain.

Virat Kohli has been one of India’s most prolific run scorer in the last five to six years and had dominated the sides except, England and that too in Tests. Kohli was found vulnerable in conditions favouring seam and swing in the past as well.

Moreover, Kohli’s captaincy decisions have also been under scrutiny in the past. Kohli has been under the hammer for making some unorthodox calls about his team selection and has never played the same playing XI in all the Tests he had captained so far.

In an Interview with Mumbai Mirror, the legendary fast bowler spoke candidly about ongoing South Africa vs India series.

Pitches have been the talking point of the series, not cricket. What do you have to say?

“I was not comfortable with the Centurion pitch at all. South Africa would be happy that they won the Test. My problem with Centurion was that cricket was entertaining there. The bowlers were struggling, the batsmen were struggling. It was not a spectacle that people would want to go back and watch again. The first Test match (Cape Town) pitch was very bowler friendly but I am sure people will want to see the first Test match again rather than the second.”

So how do you analyse the Indian bowlers and the team? 

“Personally, I think Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the best of the seamers. Ishant Sharma is good, but I think he is a fourth bowler than an attacking frontline new ball bowler. He has done well still. He does not give runs away. People say he is young but has played 80 Test matches which take their toll on the body. There is a difference between 29 years old after 80 Tests and 29 years old after 40 Tests. Fast bowling is hard work. There are of course issues with the team. I am not sure why Rahane (Ajinkya) is not playing. I know he did not do well against Sri Lanka, but you need to play who did well overseas. India do not have too many players who have done well overseas.”

So, who is the best bowler in the world and why do you say so?

“It is hard to decide who is or are the best. Because a lot of times I don’t see them. I don’t watch cricket when I am in the US. I follow the games only when I am in England or South Africa. I follow the scores, but I don’t actually watch it. But I did say before the Ashes started that Australia will win the series because England cannot take 20 wickets away from home.”

What about Virat Kohli the batsman and the captain? 

“Virat Kohli is a fantastic batsman. I was asked to name three top cricketers, and I included Kohli in that list. He is a very very good player. When I see him score runs in England, I would call him a great player. I like people who score runs everywhere. He is an extremely good player.”

“But as a captain, he has some work to do. I don’t want to condemn him too much because I like to have my own way as a captain. I like to be given the team I want all the time. But it is still not the right way to go. There got to be discussions with the wiser heads from time to time, come to conclusions and flesh out different arguments. I get an impression that he is getting what he wants.”

“He is very emotional about his cricket. He means everything he wants to do. In time he will learn. Because he has been so successful since he took over, it is hard for him to change. He has to see other view points and arrive at a consensus.”

So, who is the best batsman in the world?

“The three cricketers I think are the best now are Joe Root, Virat Kohli and Steve Smith. AB de Villiers has just come back into Test cricket and let’s see how he does. I don’t want to include him yet in that list.”

Follow more news about India’s tour of South Africa 2018 here.