Former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee reckons Virat Kohli’s captaincy style is quite similar to Ricky Ponting. Ponting is regarded as one of the best captains of the game whereas Kohli is also doing a fine job in leading the Indian team from the front. Lee believes Kohli has an aggressive style of leadership like Ricky Ponting.
The former fast bowler, who was known to bowl above 145 kmph consistently, feels both Ponting and Kohli maintain the right balance between the attack and defence. Lee added that Kohli doesn’t go over the top in his aggression and he aims to get the best out of the players.
Furthermore, like Ponting, Kohli has done a fine job as the batsman. The right-hander has been consistent and the extra responsibility of captaincy doesn’t have an impact on him.
Kohli has led India in 181 matches across the three forms in which the team has won on 117 occasions whereas they have lost 47. Hence, Kohli has a winning percent of 64.64. On the other hand, Ricky Ponting had led Australia to two World Cup triumphs in 2003 and 2007.
“If you see Ricky Ponting and Virat Kohli, you could say there are some similarities between their captaincy styles. They’ve got that raw aggression, but it’s not necessarily over the top. Apart from his (Kohli) captaincy, he does well with the bat personally. He is the same as Ricky Ponting. They are pretty similar when it comes to captaincy. Kohli is happy to attack,” Brett Lee told TimesofIndia.com
Lee feels Kohli, like Ponting, is doing a fine job in reading his players and giving them the right opportunities at the right time.
Kohli is known to be aggressive in his approach and he likes to take the attack to the opposition. The Indian captain has been delivering the goods and his captaincy record speaks for himself.
One factor where Kohli can improve as a captain is giving consistent chances to his players as there has been a lot of chop and change in the playing combination of the team, which has led to the team’s downfall in the big ICC events.
Kohli likes to give his all and he has played a key role in improving the fitness level of the players. Furthermore, Kohli has been instrumental in backing the pace battery, which has produced positive results for the team.
