Virat Kohli has not been tested as captain yet, says Bishan Singh Bedi
Bishan Singh Bedi has opined that he has no doubt about Virat Kohli’s calibre and capability but said he’s yet to prove himself in a captain’s role. The former Indian skipper has also suggested that Team India should, instead of playing against Sir Lanka time and again, play domestic cricket.
MS Dhoni announced his retirement from Test cricket during India’s tour of Australia in 2014-15 and the team’s responsibility, at least for the Test format, was handed to Virat Kohli. Since then, Kohli has led the team in 35 Tests in which India have won 21, lost five, while drawing nine games. Since the start of 2017, after Dhoni announced that he was stepping down from the role of captain, Kohli was even given the reigns of the limited overs format where he won 38 games of the 49 matches he captained. In the shortest format of the game, Kohli registered seven victories from 12 T20Is and faced defeats in five games.
Bedi claimed that it was too early to put Kohli alongside some of the successful captains in Indian history as he hasn’t been tested as a skipper yet.
"Let me be very honest. He is leading from the front as a batsman.
"You talk about Steve Waugh, you talk about Michael Brearley. [They were] real thinkers of the game. He is yet to leave that impact. I want him to show that. He has not been tested yet. Kohli is phenomenal with his consistency. What I admire more about him is his intensity. He is very intense. He is frighteningly intense."
Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, the Indian cricket team is currently in Sri Lanka participating in the ongoing tri-nation T20I series - Nidahas Trophy. Last year, the team visited Sri Lanka and handed the hosts a 9-0 whitewash and when the Lankan Lions toured India they again faced a humiliating series defeat in all three formats. Bedi suggested instead of playing against the same opponent again and again, the Indian team players should take part in domestic competitions.
"What are we getting out of Sri Lanka? We beat them in their backyard, as well as on our soil, and now we are once again in the island nation to play cricket. They could've easily played domestic cricket," he opined.
