"It's just that captaincy is not there" - Gautam Gambhir feels Virat Kohli might become more dangerous in white-ball cricket
Gautam Gambhir believes Virat Kohli might become an even more dangerous batter in white-ball cricket after being relieved of Team India's captaincy duties.
Kohli had opted to step down as Team India's T20I skipper after the T20 World Cup in the UAE but wished to continue as captain in the 50-over format of the game. However, the Indian selectors wanted to have a single skipper in both white-ball formats and thus replaced him with Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain too.
A leader who led the side with grit, passion & determination. 🇮🇳🔝
Thank you Captain @imVkohli!👏👏
#TeamIndia https://t.co/gz7r6KCuWF
During an interaction on the Star Sports show Follow the Blues, Gautam Gambhir was asked about Virat Kohli's role in white-ball cricket going forward. He responded:
"Same as Rohit Sharma's role in red-ball cricket, it's just that captaincy is not there. It might just free Virat Kohli up much more. He might just become more dangerous in white-ball cricket with the pressure of captaincy not being there on his shoulders."
The former India opener is optimistic about Kohli continuing to remain prolific as a batter in all formats of the game. Gambhir elaborated:
"I am sure he is going to make India proud, he is going to keep getting runs in white-ball cricket or in red-ball cricket. At the same time, there will be two different guys probably giving their own thoughts, giving their own vision to the team."
Kohli has not scored a century in any of the three formats of the game in more than two years. The 33-year-old, who was primed to easily overhaul Sachin Tendulkar's 100-century mark in international cricket, is stuck in third place on 70 hundreds, one behind Ricky Ponting.
"I am sure India will see the best of Virat Kohli" - Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir concluded by stating that there will be no drop in the intensity with which Kohli plays the game just because he is no longer the captain. He observed:
"I am sure India will see the best of Virat Kohli, whether it is red-ball cricket or white-ball cricket. At the same time, the kind of passion he has shown over such a long period of time or the energy, you are going to see the same out of Virat Kohli, whether he is the captain or not."
Thank you Captain @imVkohli for leading #TeamIndia through an emphatic and aggressive era in white-ball cricket! 🤩
Your brand of cricket will be a template for the future to follow. 🙌🏻
#PlayBold #ThankYouCaptainKohli https://t.co/BxtmWcklT5
Virat Kohli being relieved of captaincy duties in limited-overs cricket could be a blessing in disguise for him. While continuing to lead the side in his favorite format, the Indian batting mainstay might just elevate his game to another level in white-ball cricket.