After India’s loss in the ICC World Test Championship final, the debate about Virat Kohli’s leadership has again shot up. The Indian skipper is yet to win an ICC tournament as the leader of the team. However, he is India’s most successful Test captain. Former India player Suresh Raina has backed Kohli’s leadership skills.
The left-hander stated that Virat Kohli has been India’s No. 1 captain and needs some time.
“I think he has been the No. 1 captain. His record proves that he has achieved a lot. I think he is the No. 1 batsman in the world. You’re talking about an ICC trophy but he hasn’t even won an IPL yet. I feel that he needs to be given some time. There are 2-3 World Cups taking place one after the other – two T20 World Cups and then the 50-over World Cup. It’s not easy to reach the final – sometimes you miss out on a few things,” Raina said to News24 Sports.
Speaking about the ICC World Test Championship final loss, Suresh Raina pointed out that it wasn’t because of the conditions, but the lack of performance by Indian batsmen that cost India the championship.
“The WTC final was one such example. People said it was because of the conditions but I feel there was something lacking in batting. The bigger batsmen will have to stitch partnerships and take responsibilities,” he said.
We are not chokers: Suresh Raina
The fans were visibly upset with India’s loss in the World Test Championship final. Some of them called the Indian team as “chokers”. Reacting to this Suresh Raina said:
“See, we are not chokers, because we already have the 1983 World Cup, 2007 T20 World Cup the then 50-over World Cup in 2011. We need to understand that players are training hard. With three World Cups approaching, I don’t think anyone will call them chokers. We need to give them a little more time.
They are doing well and Virat has the capability to change the game. We need to respect the new style of this team. But I feel that in the next 12 to 16 months, an ICC trophy is going to come to India.”
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