New Delhi: Former Indian swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag showered praise on Virat Kohli, applauding his captaincy and said that he’s an, “an upgraded version” of former skipper Sourav Ganguly.
After losing the Test series 2-1, Kohli has led from the front in the ongoing ODI series where his team became the first Indian side to clinch an ODI series win against the Proteas in South Africa.
Speaking to India TV, Sehwag said, “Kohli’s aggression can be compared with Ganguly. In fact, he is an upgraded version of Sourav Ganguly. Under Ganguly’s captaincy, we saw some incredible wins overseas and such has been the trend so far with Virat Kohli.. Kohli has been a key contributor to India’s series win, scoring two centuries and a fifty.”
He also opined that although the 29-year-old has proved himself to be one of the best captains in world cricket at the moment, comparing him with former skippers is unfair.
“Kohli is the No.1 captain in terms of series wins. If we analyse the past eight series wins under his captaincy, we’ll find that he is one of the best captains we have ever seen. Having said that, I believe that we should not compare him with the best of previous captains. He needs more time and experience as captain to reach where the past skippers are,” added Sehwag.
The talismanic right-hander has been in supreme form, scoring 429 runs in the five ODIs played so far, with two hundreds and one fifty.
“He has gained confidence with the captaincy. Unlike others, he has matured and has taken his individual game to the next level. He doesn’t take the pressure of captaincy. In fact, he has improved his game with the responsibility. He has brought the trend of fitness in the camp,” Sehwag also said.
A veteran of 104 Tests and 251 ODIs, where he scored 8,586 and 8,273 runs respectively, Sehwag also felt that Kohli’s greatest strength is to bring the best out of his teammates.
“The fighting team is the power of captain Kohli and I strongly believe that this team can do wonders in England and Australia. The best thing about Kohli’s captaincy is that he brings the best out of individuals. The day bowlers stop performing Kohli’s downfall will begin. His strength lies in the current bowling line-up,” said the 39-year-old.