Sydney, Jan 2: Three days after India captain MS Dhoni surprised the cricket world with his sudden retirement from Test cricket, the focus is slowly shifting towards the new skipper and how India would make a fresh start with Virat Kohli at the helm when final Test commences here January 6.
Many present and former international cricketers including Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson, with whom the newly appointed Indian captain has featured regularly in war of words in the ongoing Test series, Friday lauded Virat’s aggressive approach towards the game.
Johnson believes the volatile batsman will probably be more aggressive than previous skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
“Ever since I’ve seen him play cricket, I’ve always seen him pretty fiery,” Johnson told reporters in Sydney Friday ahead of the fourth and final Test match, starting January 6.
“So he’ll definitely be an aggressive type of captain I think in the way he sets fields, and I think you’ll see a lot different to what MS did.
“He’s an interesting character. He is a fierce competitor and he really does like to get involved in it all.”
Johnson said Kohli’s approach hardly changes irrespective of who the opponents are. “It doesn’t matter who he plays against, he plays in your face and that is how he likes to play the game.”
Kohli, who led India in Dhoni’s absence in the first Test in Adelaide, has been involved in a battle with virtually the entire Australian team this series, exchanging heated words on the field particularly with Johnson and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.
Johnson, however, said the banter between the two sides had not been particularly venomous. “It’s just harmless stuff, that’s out there.”
“Virat’s just been telling us how many runs he’s scored and we’ve just been saying we’re two nil up in the series so that’s pretty much it.
“It’s always been part of the game and always will be.”
Pakistan’s flamboyant allrounder Shahid Afridi, however, cautioned Kohli from being too emotional on the field.
Revealing that he was a big fan of Kohli’s cricketing skills, Afridi said that Virat Kohli is ‘too emotional’ as a leader and it will take him some time to fill in the captaincy void left by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Former Australian fast bowler Damien Fleming said: “Virat Kohli is a fascinating personality. He is very aggressive and looks to get under the opposition’s skin. At the same time, he also doesn’t mind when they talk back to him. In fact he thrives on it and relishes when they sledge him,” said former.
“I wouldn’t sledge Kohli if I were bowling to him. He will only use it to fire himself up and use it against you,” he added.
Fleming said the fact that Kohli is reactive, may be good for the game. “Kohli is different from someone like Sachin Tendulkar or Adam Gilchrist, who never reacted to anything anyone said to them. “Tendulkar might be burning up in anger inside, yet his face wouldn’t bat an eyelid. He was unflinching. Kohli is a different personality and it is only good for the game that we have such personalities,” Fleming insisted. Agencies
