Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith on Tuesday questioned Virat Kohli’s leadership credentials, saying he was not sure whether the 29-year-old was a long-term option to lead the Indian cricket team.
“I don’t know, when I look at him, if he is a long-term captaincy option for India,” Smith said during an event ahead of the 3rd Test at the Wanderers.
“You can be the best player in the world, and you love that intensity and you often don’t think what your team-mates are going through,” he said.
“I think if he had a really constructive person in his environment, who could talk to him, make him think, maybe even challenge him with some different ideas, in a constructive way, not an angry or aggressive way, but make him think, open his eyes to other possibilities, that would make him a really good leader,” Smith said.
“[But] often his reaction to situations… I think that can sometimes impact on your team negatively. We all know how powerful Virat Kohli is in world cricket, in Indian cricket. For him, he’s built this aura and for him maybe to find a level where he can connect with all his players, to get to a level where can get the Indian team to be as successful as he is, that’s something that he, when I watch him, is grappling with,” he added.
