'Virat Kohli has won nothing as a leader,' says Gautam Gambhir
Former Indian opening batsman Gautam Gambhir has mentioned that Virat Kohli has a lot to achieve as a leader. He also gave his opinion on the changes that Virat Kohli might have to bring about in his leadership to become a successful captain.
Gambhir, who was a part of the latest episode of the Star Sports show Cricket Connected along with Irfan Pathan and the host Jatin Sapru, shared his views on Virat Kohli's career as a captain.
On being asked if Virat Kohli has a long way to go as a captain, Gambhir was quick to reply in the affirmative.
He said -
"Lots! It is a team sport. You can keep scoring your own runs. There are people like Brian Lara who have scored so many runs. There are people like Jacques Kallis who have won nothing. Virat Kohli at the moment has won nothing to be honest as a leader. He has a lot to achieve."
The left-handed opener added that Virat Kohli might be performing great individually but what ultimately matters is the number of big tournaments you win.
"You can keep scoring those big runs but according to me, till you win those big trophies you will never be able to fulfil your entire career."
Gautam Gambhir on the changes required in Virat Kohli's captaincy
Gautam Gambhir was also asked what Virat Kohli could do to be better prepared for his future assignments as captain. The Delhi opener responded that the Indian skipper needs to realise that everyone has their own game and may not have the same ability as the latter.
"He is different from the rest, probably lot of other people might not have the same ability that Virat Kohli has. So the most important quality he needs to have is to start taking players as they are. Don't compare them or don't compare their intensity to his intensity. Because every individual is different, he has his own pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses."
Gambhir added this is the most interesting aspect of a team game- each member of the team has different attributes and they need to complement each other to attain greater heights.
"That is what makes a team sport really fascinating, because you have got to gel everyone together and try to get the best out of them as well. Mohammed Shami or Ishant Sharma can never be a Jasprit Bumrah. KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer or Manish Pandey can probably never match Virat Kohli's intensity or his talent."
Gautam Gambhir signed off by stating that it is the job of the captain to get the best out of the team members and that is the only formula to build a successful team.
"How to get the best out of them in those important situations will help him prepare the best to get the world titles. And that is the only way that they can actually win."