Kohli’s Emotions Work For Him and Team, Not Against Them: Ian Chappell

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell has praised Indian captain Virat Kohli and his leadership style, saying that contrary to what he believed when Kohli took charge of the team, his emotions actually work in favour of him and the team.

Kohli is already the most successful Test captain in the history of Indian cricket, with 33 wins overall. “When he first became captain, especially of the Test team, I thought his highly emotional temperament might be detrimental to his leadership. Instead, he has ensured his emotions work for him and not against the team. This is in line with his clear-thinking approach to the game. To hear Kohli talk about batting, and particularly his rationale for eschewing the innovative short-form shots (he doesn’t want them to corrupt his Test-match style), is to listen to a master who comprehends his craft,” Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.

“As their captain in all three international formats, the versatile Virat Kohli deserves a lot of credit for creating this winning mentality. When a captain leads a side successfully on a regular basis, especially by occasionally plucking victory from the jaws of defeat, the team begin to believe he is a miracle worker. Kohli has earned the respect of the team as an inspiring leader and they expect good things to happen with him in charge.”

Chappell also wrote that the growth of young batsmen like Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul is down to the high standards that Kohli sets for himself and by extension the entire team. “There is also greater depth now in Indian cricket, and this applies to the fast-bowling stocks as well as the traditionally strong areas of batting and spin bowling. There are signs that young batsmen like KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are maturing quickly, and this is not surprising, given when regularly see the high standards Kohli sets,” he said.