"You should show your emotions and not be like a machine on the ground" - Former Indian spinner hails Virat Kohli with Viv Richards comparison
Former Indian spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan praised ace batter Virat Kohli for displaying his emotions on the field and having an attacking attitude similar to West Indian legend Sir Vivian Richards.
Kohli has often been celebrated and criticized equally by fans and the media for his in-your-face attitude. Yet, his achievements individually and for Team India over the past decade and a half have been nothing short of stellar.
The 36-year-old is India's second all-time leading run-scorer across formats with over 27,000 runs and his 80 international centuries is second overall in world cricket behind only Sachin Tendulkar.
Speaking on Sony Sport’s Tamil Cricket Podcast – Cricket Petta, Sivaramakrishnan said as quoted by News18:
"Kohli’s attacking attitude is something that he himself enjoys and celebrates. You should show your emotions. You shouldn’t be like a machine on the ground. You should have an attitude like Sir Vivian Richards who would intimidate bowlers with his eyes."
He further called Kohli and MS Dhoni the best red-ball and white-ball captains, respectively.
"Kohli’s attacking attitude and Dhoni’s calm demeanour. For me, the red ball best captain is Virat and the white ball is MS Dhoni," Sivaramakrishnan said.
Dhoni is the only Indian captain to lead the side to over 100 ODI wins (110), including the 2011 ODI World Cup title. He also led India to 41 wins in 72 matches in T20Is, including the title in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.
Meanwhile, Kohli led India to being the No.1 Test side for most of the second half of the 2010s. He is also India's most successful Test captain, leading the side to 40 wins in 68 matches.
"Sunil Gavaskar was the best captain, I played under" - Laxman Sivaramakrishnan
![Gavaskar led India in over 80 games across formats [Credit: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/11/62145-17314114168537-1920.jpg?w=500)
Laxman Sivaramakrishnan called batting legend Sunil Gavaskar as the best captain he played under during his career.
Gavaskar led India in 47 Tests and 37 ODIs in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, winning a combined 23 games.
"Sunil Gavaskar was the best captain, I played under. He was very good with strategy and analytical in approach. Kapil Dev was a very instinctive captain. He will go with his gut instinct. He gave an extra over to Madan Lal in 1983, that’s instinctive captaincy. With Sunil Gavaskar, you can ask for anything but you have to justify it, why you want to do it. If you do that he will give you the freedom to set your fields and plan your attack," said Sivaramakrishnan.
Sivaramakrishnan played nine Tests and 16 ODIs for India in the 1980s, finishing with a combined 41 wickets.