The Indian team is one of the best the country has had, says Mike Brearley
Mike Brearley believes that the current Indian team led by Virat Kohli is one of the best squads that the country has seen in a long time as they play Australia in the ongoing Test series. Brearley added that he supports the idea of one player captaining across all three formats in modern cricket.
76-year old former England captain, Mike Brearley, is regarded as one of the finest minds in the game and his opinion is well-respected in modern cricket. Former President of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 2007–08, Brearley reckons that the current Indian team is one of the best that the country has ever seen in a long time.
The Indian team under the leadership of Virat Kohli has been one of the most consistent group of players in international cricket in the past couple of years. Under the guidance of Ravi Shastri, Kohli & Co. have registered dominant wins against Sri Lanka, Australia, England, Bangladesh and other countries on home soil in the last two years.
"The Indian team is one of the best the country has had. The seam bowling is the best in-depth that it has ever had. Ashwin is a fine bowler. The fielding is probably better than ever too. It's an exciting time to be following cricket in India," Brearley told Cricbuzz.
Brearley, who captained England in 31 test matches, has an impressive record of 17 wins and just four losses in his reign as skipper of the three lions. Brearley also spoke about present Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, and said that Kohli’s passion is something that defines him and separates him from the rest of the other international captains.
"Virat wears his heart on his sleeve. There is a lot to be said for this passion, but of course there are possible downsides. Each person has to do it in his own way. I'd be more worried about him going a bit passive, almost detached or uninvolved, towards the end of the game, as he did at the Oval when England were on top," Brearley added.
While addressing the issue of the same player acting as captain across all three formats, Brearley suggested that if a player was in good form and in peak fitness, he could play a lead role in all three formats.
"If he is in good form as captain and as a player, and is good at all three formats, yes. The advantage is that he will feel all the teams are his team, as it were, The disadvantage is the risk of burn-out. For example, (Joe) Root and (Eoin) Morgan seem to work out well enough together for ODIs and T20s, and Root is improving and doing well in Tests, so it can work well," Brearley concluded.
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