"Maybe he was concentrating on Indian cricket too much" - Wasim Akram talks about what Virat Kohli lacked as RCB captain in IPL
Wasim Akram recently commented on Virat Kohli's stint as the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain. Despite having some of the strongest squads in IPL history, RCB have never been able to win the championship.
Kohli captained the RCB for a long time, and under his leadership, the team finished runner-up in 2016. Bangalore also made it to the playoffs in 2020 and 2021 under Kohli's captaincy. However, they could never lift the elusive trophy.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda Cricket, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram was asked what did Virat Kohli lack as a captain in IPL. Replying to the question, Akram pointed out that Kohli was the Indian team and RCB's captain at the same time, indicating that captaincy sometimes becomes a burden.
"I don't know where did he lack," he stated. "He is a very hard-working boy. Maybe he was concentrating on Indian cricket too much, and in IPL when you are the captain, sometimes captaincy becomes a burden. So he is better off where he is. He is performing a lot better. It seems like he is enjoying his cricket now."
"Virat Kohli has been trying his best, but the entire team needs to perform" - Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram further talked about Royal Challengers Bangalore's performance in IPL 2023 and said that the team need to perform as a unit. RCB's batting has been over-reliant on Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, and Glenn Maxwell this season.
Giving the example of how MS Dhoni brings out the best of the players present in his team, Akram added:
"He (Virat Kohli) is no longer the captain now. He led the team in a few matches this season. Faf is the captain now. Virat has been trying his best, but the entire team needs to perform. A captain should know how to get the best out of his team. MS Dhoni has that art."
Wasim Akram also opined that if MS Dhoni captained the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the IPL, they would have won three championships by now.