Image courtesy of: NDTV
Azharuddin believes Kohli will get himself into serious trouble if he does not learn to control his aggression
Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin has called on interim skipper Virat Kohli to “tone down” his aggression as it will only get him into trouble in the near future.
Azharuddin added that Kohli’s aggression would not be an asset when he replaces Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captain as it will only succeed in giving everybody a negative connotation about him.
“He has to tone down,” Azharuddin said. “You cannot be like that always. I know he is a very good player with a big reputation. He is considered as the future captain and he has to behave like a captain.”
Azharuddin’s comments come after Kohli got into a heated confrontation with the on-field umpires after being given out to a controversial catch during his side’s tour of Zimbabwe.
“Kohli’s nature is different, I understand that but then everybody looks up to him,” Azharuddin said. “Being aggressive is good but he has to be aggressive from the inside, showing it on the outside won’t help. If he tones down a little bit it will be good for him.”
With India having won the Champions Trophy, a tri-series tournament against Sri Lanka and the West Indies and now an ODI series against Zimbabwe, Azharuddin admitted that it would be difficult for the senior players who have been dropped to regain their spots in the national team.
“It is difficult for the seniors to make a comeback with the young team doing so well,” he said. “Unless some players get injured, it will be very hard for these players to make a comeback. But they have been playing for India for so many years, they are experienced players. They have to perform well at domestic tournaments. If they do well, they can return. They all are in the running.”
The 50-year-old added that it would be unfair on the younger players in the squad if they were to be dropped due to the fact that they lack experience.
“We need a mixture of experience and youth,” the former captain said. “We can’t drop the current players just because they don’t have experience, it won’t be good for their confidence. So we have to select a balanced side for the tour to South Africa.”
When asked about his thoughts on the Decision Review System (DRS) and the somewhat controversial impact it has had on the ongoing Ashes series, Azharuddin said: “Umpires should be given more responsibility. The game has been going for many years. Suddenly we have too much technology. The game is a great leveller and I think more power should be given to the on-field umpires.”