Virat Kohli is able to lead India efficiently because veterans MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma are also part of the group, reckons former opener Gautam Gambhir, who once again targetted the national captain for his decision making skills.
Gambhir said Virat is put to a real test when he is alone at the helm of affairs for the long struggling RCB franchise in the IPL.
"Still a long way to go for him. Kohli was very good in the last World Cup but he has a long way to go," Gambhir told reporters at the sidelines of an event this Thursday (September 19). "He captains so well in international cricket because he has got Rohit Sharma, he had MS Dhoni for a long time. Captaincy credentials are noticed when you are leading a franchise, when you do not have other players supporting you."
"I have been honest whenever I have spoken about this. See what Rohit Sharma has achieved for Mumbai Indians, see what Dhoni has achieved for Chennai Super Kings. If you compare that with RCB, the results are there for everyone to see."
Meanwhile, Gambhir, one of the first to suggest going in with Rohit Sharma as a Test opener, is really happy the national selectors and the management have also deemed the prodigious right-hander for the same role versus South Africa in the upcoming home Test series.
"I think KL Rahul has been given a longer run. It is time for Rohit Sharma to open the batting in Test cricket," he said. "If you pick him in the squad, he has to be a part of the playing XI. If he does not fit your playing XI, no point in picking him in the squad of 15 or 16. He is too good a player to be sitting on the bench," Gambhir added.
The 37-year-old also revealed he contemplated untimely retirement after not being picked for the 2007 50-over World Cup in the Caribbean.
"In 2007, when I missed the 50-over World Cup, that was the lowest moment in my cricketing career. I had given up on cricket. Before that, I had missed both U-14 and U-19 World Cups. In 2007 I thought I was the closest to play the World Cup, but when they did not include me in the squad, I had given up on cricket."
"Then I was chosen in Twenty-20 World Cup in 2007 and I got dismissed for a duck in the first match against Pakistan. But as fate has it, I finished as the leading run-scorer in the World Cup and we ended up winning the tournament so one should never give up," he concluded.
(Inputs from ANI)
