2017 was unarguably the best year for Team India’s captain Virat Kohli, both as a batsman and as a leader. Last week, he was crowned cricketer of the year by the International Cricket Council, capping off a strong innings for the 29-year-old across all three formats of the game.
However, Former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding feels Kohli is an extremely good batsman, but for him to enter the category of cricket greats he will have to score runs in England. Holding described Kohli as one of the top three batsmen in the world at the moment along with England’s Joe Root and Australia’s Steve Smith.
“Virat Kohli is a fantastic batsman. I was asked to name three top cricketers and I included Kohli in that list. He is a very very good player. When I see him score runs in England, I would call him a great player. I like people who score runs everywhere. He is an extremely good player,” Holding told.
“But as a captain, he has some work to do. I don’t want to condemn him too much because I like to have my own way as a captain. I like to be given the team I want all the time. But it is still not the right way to go. There got to be discussions with the wiser heads from time to time, come to conclusions and flesh out different arguments. I get an impression that he is getting what he wants.”
“He is very emotional about his cricket. He means everything he wants to do. In time he will learn. Because he has been so successful since he took over, it is hard for him to change. He has to see other view points and arrive at consensus,” Holding further added.
