Not at all like Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag backs Virat Kohli to remain on as RCB captain
Previous India star Virender Sehwag has supported Virat Kohli to remain captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore regardless of one more IPL heartbreak, contradicting his ex-opening partner Gautam Gambhir’s perspectives.
RCB lost the IPL ‘Eliminator’ against Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets on Friday to retire from the thirteenth edition of the competition after a helpless batting performance.
While it frustrated the RCB fans no closure, two-time IPL winning captain Gambhir led the calls for Kohli’s expulsion from captaincy. In any case, Sehwag disagreed with that perspective.
“A captain is only as good as his team. When Virat Kohli captains India, he is able to deliver the results. He wins matches? ODIs, T20Is Tests. But when he captains RCB, his team is not able to perform,” Sehwag told ‘Cricbuzz’.
“It is very important for the captain to have a good team. So, I believe the management should not try and think of changing their captain and rather think of how they can improve this team.
“Who all should be added to the team to make sure their performance improves,” Sehwag added.
Kohli scored 466 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 121.35 and has frequently attempted to get moving in the middle overs.
The defeat against SRH was RCB’s fifth on the run after a strong beginning during which they had won seven out of 10 matches.
Gambhir had said Kohli’s non-performance as RCB skipper should prompt his expulsion from a hot seat.
Known for his straight-talking, the legend of India’s two World Cup title wins clarified that Kohli’s name as a leader shouldn’t be taken close by any semblance of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, who are IPL’s best captains.
Inquired as to whether Kohli ought to be eliminated from RCB’s captaincy, Gambhir had told ‘ESPNCricinfo’, “100 per cent, because the problem is about accountability. Eight years into the tournament (without a trophy), eight years is a long time.
“Tell me any other captain… forget about captain, tell me any other player who would have got eight years and wouldn’t have won the title and would have still continued with it.
“So it has to be accountability.”
Sneha Singhania is probably renewed for his writing skill. She attained his degree in literature from Tamil Nadu University. She born in England but she stays in eastern India. She is a freelance writer, she writes some stories, essays and currently working on Times of Chennai covering Business, Technology, sports, and lifestyle.
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