"Both are great captains. Why compare?" - Agarkar when asked to compare Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli are two leaders who took the Indian cricket team to the next level. While some fans have drawn comparisons between Kohli and Ganguly, taking their aggressive approach into consideration, former Indian cricketer Ajit Agarkar feels no need to do so.
In an interview with The Times of India ahead of the Headingley Test between India and England, Ajit Agarkar, who played under Sourav Ganguly's captaincy, gave his views on Dada's approach.
"Sourav was aggressive. He was one of the most outspoken people I have seen," Ajit Agarkar said.
When asked to compare the on-field captaincy styles of Ganguly and Virat Kohli, Agarkar replied:
"Sourav's personality was different, Virat has his own, MS Dhoni has his own. Whatever helps your game, you try to do that, whether as a captain or a player. Maybe being aggressive and vocal helped Sourav on the field. It is probably the case with Virat as well."
The former Indian pacer added that taking an aggressive approach was fine until no lines were crossed. Agarkar made it clear that he was against the idea of pitting the two against each other. Instead, both should be celebrated for taking India to heights.
"And why compare? Both (Sourav and Virat) played in different eras. Both did well for India. Both are great captains. Both have been terrific players."
Can Virat Kohli guide the Indian team to a Test series win on English soil?
India currently lead the five-match Test series against England by 1-0. However, Virat Kohli and Co. have struggled in the ongoing Headingley Test so far. They got skittled out for 78 runs in the first innings and conceded a 354-run first-innings lead to England.
Kohli will have to lead his team from the front in the second innings to make sure India avoid a defeat in the Headingley Test.
Back in 2002, Sourav Ganguly played a captain's knock of 128 runs and helped India beat England at Headingley. A similar performance from Virat Kohli could bring India back into the contest.
You can follow the live scorecard of the Headingley Test match between India and England right here.