IPL 2020 | As a captain, I would like to have the ability to review a wide, insists Virat Kohli

In the CSK-SRH encounter on Tuesday, MS Dhoni came under fire for “bullying” umpire Paul Reiffel who didn’t give it a wide after Dhoni shouted at him. It was a scenario that befuddled many, but the underlying fact that the captains don’t have the option of reviewing a wide has also been discussed. In a star-studded Instagram Live show for Puma, Virat Kohli, in a discussion with KL Rahul, shared his opinion that the captains should be empowered with the option of reviewing those controversial calls because it is a game of fine margins.

"I am going to speak as a captain. As a captain, I would like to have the ability to review a wide, which could be a wrong call, or a waist-high full-toss, which could be a wrong call. We have seen historically how big these things can be in such a high-profile tournament like IPL and in general T20 cricket," Kohli said during an interaction with KL Rahul on Instagram. 

"It is a fast-paced game and you can miss a small margin and we have all seen this is a big factor. If you lose the game by a run and you are not able to review that wide, it could make a massive difference in someone's campaign," Kohli added.

Rahul was pretty much on the same line but added that teams should be given two reviews and allowed to use it for whatever decision they want to use against.

"If that rule comes in, it is very good. You can give a team two reviews and say you can use it for whatever. If someone hits a six over 100 metres, it should be given more runs. I will ask my bowlers about this,” Rahul added.

Rahul, who has the purple cap firmly on his head, had shared his apprehension of losing his skillset during the lockdown but come to the tournament, none has affected him as such. Even though his SR has come under intense criticism, he has been better than ever when it comes to scoring runs. But captaincy has taken a toll on him, with Punjab reeling at the bottom with six losses from seven games. Rahul spoke on both issues and his approach towards captaincy which he is doing for the first time in the IPL.

"I was nervous coming into the tournament. I was scared from an injury point of view, that fear was always there. There was self doubt, the other part is skill, after having not played for such a long period of time. I was a little nervous but I knew I would enjoy it a lot. Once the tournament started, you started getting into the groove... the fear was starting to go away," Rahul said.

"Since it's my first time doing this, whatever I have played and learnt from you, Mahi bhai, I have tried to pretty much do the same thing. I tried to stay balanced in victory and loss, it's important to ensure that everyone is enjoying ... It's been good learning for me, leadership helps to grow individuals faster."

"I have been playing IPL for 4-5 years. I don't think it's (captaincy) a massive shift, it's just about understanding each other. We play against each other so often we know our strengths and weaknesses,” the Kings XI Punjab skipper, who had played under Kohli at RCB and the Indian team, added.