Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are 'natural-born leaders', believes Corey Anderson
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have garnered praise for their leadership qualities from New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson, who hailed the Indian duo as natural-born leaders and excellent tacticians.
During a recent Instagram Live session with Sportstar, Anderson opened up about his experience of playing in the IPL under the captaincy of both Kohli and Sharma at Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians respectively.
According to Corey Anderson, Virat Kohli's dynamism and passion are quite contagious and help boost the morale of the entire team. On the other hand, the all-rounder feels that Rohit Sharma goes about his business quietly and keeps his emotions in check even during crunch situations in a match.
“Both are very good captains. Sharma is probably a bit laid-back in that role. He is passionate, wants to win, but keeps it under wraps a little bit more. Kohli wears his heart on his sleeve and shows a lot of emotion."
"They are good tacticians, they understand the game and know how to win. That’s why India has been so successful. They have numerous players who have captained IPL teams. You know that if someone drops out — be it injury or anything — they have replacements.”
Corey Anderson- who lauded the effect Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have on their respective teams both as captains and batsmen- categorically praised the Mumbai Indians ace for his effortless style of play.
“But they both take charge of the team. They are natural-born leaders. They are also the best batters. Sharma is one of my favourite players to watch when he is in full flow. He makes cricket look like the easiest game in the world. The top guys in the world do that."
Corey Anderson says it's 'cool' to witness Virat Kohli's growth in real-time
When speaking about Kohli, Anderson explained that he was extremely lucky to witness the Indian skipper's development since his early days in the Under-19 circuit.
According to the all-rounder, witnessing the 31-year-old's rise to stardom from the Under-19 level to the international arena was really "cool".
Anderson said:
“To play against someone like Kohli from the U19 World Cup [in 2008] to all of a sudden taking the field with him for RCB [in 2018] is quite a surreal feeling. If you had asked me when I was 18 or 19 of what he was supposed to become (laughs)… it is such a cool thing to be part of — witness his growth in real-time."