'Virat Kohli is a more aggressive captain for India than for RCB,' says Parthiv Patel
Indian wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel believes that Virat Kohli is a more aggressive captain when he plays for India than when he plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He reasoned that this is because of the difference in the arsenal that Virat Kohli possesses while playing for the two teams.
Parthiv Patel put forth his views on his cricketing career and the captains he has played under in an interview with Aakash Chopra on the latter's YouTube channel.
Having played under Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, the diminutive wicketkeeper was asked to rate them as captains and how differently the three of them approached the role.
Parthiv Patel responded that MS Dhoni is aware of the potential of every player, and knows how to extract the best out of them without altering their playing styles.
"I feel MS Dhoni knows how much potential each player has and how to extract that. Each player has his own 100%, Dhoni knows that and he extracts that from the player. He allows the player to play in his own style and gives him his space."
The Gujarat wicket-keeper mentioned that Rohit Sharma is very meticulous as a captain and has improved considerably over the years.
"Rohit plans very well. He gets completely involved in everything, say if there is a bowlers' meeting. He gets all the information. He is a master of when and where to use a particular player. Over the years he has improved a lot as a captain, if you look at him in 2014 and you look at him now."
He added that both the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians' captains are proficient at managing the players.
"Dhoni and Rohit are very good at man management."
The RCB wicket-keeper mentioned that Virat Kohli is more aggressive on the field and always wants to lead from the front.
"Virat has a different kind of captaincy. He likes to be right in front every time. He is aggressive all the time, which is his style and that has suited him."
While comparing the three Indian stalwarts, Parthiv Patel highlighted that while MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma like to keep a calm atmosphere, Virat Kohli wants a more energetic dressing room.
"So, they are different. Dhoni and Rohit keep the dressing room calm while Virat makes sure that everyone is on their toes and everyone keeps pushing themselves."
Parthiv Patel on the difference in captaincy styles of Virat Kohli while playing for India and RCB
Aakash Chopra countered Patel by saying that Virat Kohli is aggressive as a player but not so much as a captain, and opined that Rohit Sharma is probably a more aggressive captain than the RCB skipper.
Parthiv Patel responded that there is a difference of approach in Virat Kohli's captaincy when he plays for India than when he plays for RCB, and attributed it to the contrasting quality of bowling attacks in the two outfits.
"It feels like that a lot of the times. But it matters what sort of players you have. When he captains the Indian team, he is a different captain. Because there he has Bumrah, Shami and high quality spinners, so he is always thinking wickets."
He also reasoned that apart from the bowling arsenal, the type of surface and size of ground plays a huge role in deciding the approach a captain can take.
"But for RCB, I feel with whatever arsenal he has if he can afford to be aggressive. Also the ground on which he is playing also matters a lot. If you are not getting help from the wicket, we tend to go for a defensive approach. If we can restrict the opposition to 190-200, we have a chance. But if we go for wickets and concede 220-230, we are totally out of the game."
Parthiv Patel concluded that it is just because of these two factors that Virat Kohli is more aggressive as a captain for India than for RCB.
"So, that is why I feel when he captains for India he is aggressive but for RCB just because of the ground and the players he has, he is a bit defensive."