IND v WI 2018: Virat not proven enough as a captain yet, says Gundappa Viswanath

Viswanath also shared his thoughts on the 18-year-old batting prodigy, Prithvi Shaw.

Indian Captain Virat Kohli | AFP

Virat Kohli is inarguably one of the best batsmen in the modern era and is doing really well as a leader too but he is yet to absolutely prove himself as a Test captain for India, thinks the batting legend Gundappa Viswanath. 

Virat has a very good record as captain for India but under him, the team lost both their series in South Africa(2-1) and in England(4-1) this year and this has raised doubts about his on field tactics and understanding of the game in unfamiliar conditions. 

“He is doing really well, but he is yet to prove that he’s the best. He has to win a series abroad," Vishwanath was quoted saying, "He has come closer, a couple of times, but still he hasn’t done yet. As a batsman, he has proved in all conditions," he stressed, "In the recent England tour, he showed us how good can he be. There are more expectations from Kohli the captain. He is still young as a leader. But I am confident he will reach that stage one day.” 

The former middle-order batsman, who scored 6,080 runs at 41.93 across 91 Tests in all conditions for India, also talked about the young Prithvi Shaw. 

Vishwanath is highly impressed with Shaw and said, “Even though it’s early days for him in Test cricket and the debut hundred came against a depleted West Indies, Prithvi has shown that he’s very promising," adding, "It’s good to see him playing his shots, without curbing his instincts. I have been seeing him for a while, a few of his Ranji innings and Duleep knocks. His approach hasn’t hanged in Test cricket. He played similar strokes in domestic cricket. It shows his ability,”

On the natural skepticism "whether Shaw will be as good overseas?" he reflected, “No one knows how he is going to do in foreign conditions; you have to see him play there to analyse. But I would say, he has got the right temperament. He has got runs in Ranji, Duleep and for India. That means he has got talent,” and signed off. 

(Inputs from Deccan Chronicle)

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 13 Oct, 2018

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