There are not many things in cricket where someone can find fault in or criticise the captain of Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli. However, none other than a legendary cricketer himself has lashed out at the current world No 1 batsman and made some scathing remarks about his style.
Former Indian spinner Bishan Singh Bedi has accused Virat Kohli of running the team the way he wants, referring to the ouster India’s most successful bowler, Anil Kumble as the team’s head coach following his spat with Kohli.
“One person is doing all he wants and we are letting it happen. What would Anil [Kumble] have said, he was gracious to leave it like that," Bedi told Aaj Tak, an Indian news channel.
The sporting circles in India are abuzz with the comments with some interpreting them as Bedi accusing Kohli of being intolerant to contrarian views.
“What Bedi has essentially said is that Kohli wants complete control over his team, and hates contrarian views. Basically, he likes ‘yes, men’ such as Ravi Shastri!,” sports news website Sportskeeda.com wrote.
Anil Kumble – also a cricket legend – resigned in June 2017 as the head coach after a year in the position over difference with Kohli and was replaced by the current coach Ravi Shastri who had also applied for the job in 2016 when the BCCI picked the leg-spinner as the team coach. Shastri was the team director at that time.
Kumble while resigning said his relationship with Kohli had become “untenable” and that the captain had reservations about his style of functioning.
Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble (AP Photo/Bikas Das) Source: AP
Shatri, who played for India for over eleven years, is known to have a very cordial relationship with Kohli. So much so that, just before the Indian team left for Australia, Kohli was asked if Shastri merely said “yes” to everything Kohli said.
But the Indian captain vigorously defended the coach.
“That is the most bizarre thing I have ever heard,” Kohli replied.
“I don't think there's anyone who has said no to me more than him in Indian cricket. Honestly, because he's one guy I can speak to and get an honest opinion and he'll tell me something that if it doesn't need to be done, it doesn't need to be done. I've made more changes to my game listening to him than anyone else in the past,” he said.
Bedi’s comments about Kohli came just before India was preparing to take the field at GABA to kick off the current Australian tour. However, he praised Kohli for his commitment and passion for the game while raising concern about putting too much pressure on him.
The Indian team is good, we all know that but the same team went to England and South Africa and those teams were also “weak”. Yes, the bans have happened on two kids [Steve Smith and David Warner] but a team is not made of two individuals. In fact, our team is made of one person, everything is about Kohli. The amount of focus there is, you don’t realise how much pressure you are putting on that kid [Kohli], both as a batsman and a captain,” he added.
