Virender Sehwag: “Under Ganguly’s captaincy, we saw some incredible wins overseas and such has been the trend so far with Virat Kohli”
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Former India opener Virender Sehwag has lavished praise on captain Virat Kohli, saying he is “an upgraded version of Sourav Ganguly”.
Sehwag’s comments come after Kohli guided India to their first-ever bilateral ODI series victory in South Africa.
In addition to the historic feat, Kohli has led by example with the bat as he is the highest scorer in the series with 429 runs, which includes two centuries and a fifty, at an average of 143.
“Kohli’s aggression can be compared with Ganguly. In fact, he is an upgraded version of Sourav Ganguly,” Sehwag told India TV as quoted by NDTV. “Under Ganguly’s captaincy, we saw some incredible wins overseas and such has been the trend so far with Virat Kohli.”
Given how much success India have had since Kohli took over as captain, Sehwag admitted that the 29-year-old has to go down as one of the best skippers in history.
“Kohli is the No.1 captain in terms of series wins,” he said. “If we analyse the past eight series wins under his captaincy, we’ll find that he is one of the best captains we have ever seen.
“Having said that, I believe that we should not compare him with the best of previous captains. He needs more time and experience as captain to reach where the past skippers are.
“He has gained confidence with the captaincy. Unlike others, he has matured and has taken his individual game to the next level. He doesn’t take the pressure of captaincy. In fact, he has improved his game with the responsibility. He has brought the trend of fitness in the camp.”
While some have criticised Kohli for being too aggressive, Sehwag feels that the Delhi native has the unique ability to bring out the best in his teammates.
“The fighting team is the power of captain Kohli and I strongly believe that this team can do wonders in England and Australia,” he said. “The best thing about Kohli’s captaincy is that he brings the best out of individuals. The day bowlers stop performing Kohli’s downfall will begin. His strength lies in the current bowling line-up.”