R Ashwin : Sometimes I am scared of Virat Kohli's aggressiveness
Virat Kohli's aggression on the field has made him the player he is today. But Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed that he is, at times, scared of Kohli’s aggression and thinks twice before changing the field pointing out the contrast in leadership between Kohli and ex-skipper MS Dhoni.
R Ashwin has been a part of the Indian cricket team since 2011 and had played under only once man's leadership - MS Dhoni. But in 2014 when Dhoni decided to retire from the longest format of the game, the job went to his polar opposite in the shape of Virat Kohli. Kohli has since then taken India to the top of the Test rankings winning an incredible 16 out of 26 matches.
When TOI asked Ashwin to compare the style of both players he replied, "The first thing that comes to my mind when you say MS Dhoni as captain is maturity. Virat has just taken over from him and he is a completely different individual. He likes confrontation, he likes to be in the thick of things, he's extremely aggressive." Sometimes I feel that he's so aggressive that I get a little scared. I wonder whether I should remove this fielder or not (laughs). The one thing with Virat is that you will never be wondering if that fielder has been put there in an attacking position or not. He has evolved as a cricketer and as a person in the last couple of years. He's probably a generation transforming
"Sometimes I feel that he's so aggressive that I get a little scared. I wonder whether I should remove this fielder or not (laughs). The one thing with Virat is that you will never be wondering if that fielder has been put there in an attacking position or not. He has evolved as a cricketer and as a person in the last couple of years. He's probably a generation transforming
After stepping down as the Test captain Dhoni continued leading the team in the limited formats of the game till
“It's a very energy consuming job and a thankless job. After five years of captaincy, one should take voluntary retirement from it (laughs). It's not just about wearing your blazer and going out for the toss. You have to do PCs, selection meetings, pick the playing XI, answer people who just missed out. I take my hat off to MS Dhoni. He did a commendable job, especially in a country where people wanted his head for a very long time. He insulated the team from a lot of pressure,” Ashwin explained.
