Virat Kohli is really starting to mature as a leader: Simon Taufel
Former ICC panel umpire Simon Taufel heaped praise on Virat Kohli for leading by example and showing humility on the field. He said the Indian captain has matured as a leader and helped transform the fielding standards of the Indian team.
“It’s very important from a leader’s perspective to not only be the best they can be but to lead by example. It’s fair to say that the India team you’re seeing now is the fittest and most agile team in many years. That’s because Virat leads by example in that area and he doesn’t ask people to do things that he wouldn’t do himself,” Taufel said in a chat with Inswinging Yorker.
Taufel, who won the ICC Umpire of the Year award, consecutively from 2004 to 2008, recalled an incident from the pink-ball Test at the Eden Gardens last year.
After India won the match by an innings and 46 runs and wrapped up the series 2-0, Virat Kohli gave the trophy to reserve wicket-keeper KS Bharat during the celebratory photo session.
“The other thing is humility. Virat is really starting to mature as a leader and he’s really starting to show some humility. I was at the pink-ball Test at Kolkata in November last year and at the end of the game when he was given the trophy, you would expect him to stand in the middle with the silverware. However, on this occasion, he chose not to,” Taufel concluded.
Virat Kohli’s impressive captaincy record
Indeed, Virat Kohli's attributes are rubbing off his teammates and the results are there for everyone to see. Despite not winning any ICC trophies, Virat Kohli has won 62 of the 89 matches he has captained, while enjoying a win percentage of 71.83.
Virat Kohli also became the first Indian captain to win a Test series Down Under when India beat Australia 2-1 in December, 2018.