"He's going to be missed as India captain" - Brad Hogg on Virat Kohli
Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg has showered praise on Virat Kohli's leadership skills. Kohli stepped down as India's Test captain a day after losing the Test series in South Africa.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Hogg said Kohli always found time for people despite his busy schedule.
"Every time I've come across Virat Kohli, he's stopped, said good day and we've had a chat about worldly things, cricket, whatever, and then he's moved on. He gives everyone a bit of time even though he's one of the most occupied cricketers both on and off the field with the way that he's got to train, the commitments that he's got commercially as well as trying to get himself mentally right on the field, as well as his family," he stated.
The Australian described Kohli as "a true ambassador of the game."
"He's a true ambassador of the game, and for me he is going to be missed as India captain moving forward. Well done Virat Kohli, you've taken Indian cricket to new heights. The next captain, well, he's got a lot to live up to. He's got big shoes to fill," Hogg said.
"He wanted to take Indian cricket to new heights and he did" - Brad Hogg on Virat Kohli
It was Virat Kohli's mission as captain to take Indian cricket to new heights, according to Hogg.
"He's going to be sorely missed. But one thing I love is when he took over that captaincy, he had one thing on his mind and that was to take Indian cricket to new heights, and he did. He did it with discipline, passion, setting standards both physically and performance wise, and the way they conducted themselves both on and off the field, and he also put the team first. He put Indian cricket first above his own performances," Hogg stated.
He added:
"The passion that he had, yes, he really tested the boundaries. Every now and then he overstepped those boundaries, but I'd rather him show his true colors than really be conservative and hold back. He really rubbed opposition teams up the wrong way when he needed to - he stuck that chest out, he wasn't willing to give up in any contest. He wanted to give it his all, and that is true leadership and the players followed. He set the standards."