Virat Kohli’s captaincy has come under the scanner after India’s defeat in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2021 final at the hands of New Zealand in Southampton.
Amid the criticism, former India all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath has come in support of Kohli, saying that the latter has done a "fantastic job" and it is important for the side to have him as a leader of the pack.
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Sharing his opinion on Kohli, Amarnath further said that he sees legends like Sir Vivian Richards and Ricky Ponting in the Indian skipper.
"Virat Kohli is a great player and a very good captain also. We shouldn't be emotional, we have many expectations and when our expectations don't get fulfilled we start looking for something on which we can put the blame," Mohinder Amarnath told ANI.
"Definitely he (Virat) is doing a fantastic job and a player like him comes once in a generation. Cricket will keep on moving forward and when there are so many facilities and you play for a whole year obviously your self-confidence increases.
"In Virat Kohli, I see both Viv Richards and Ricky Ponting so you can imagine how good a batsmen Virat is. And with experience, his performances are improving and it's important for him to continue as captain," he added.
Team India suffered a comprehensive 8-wicket defeat in the inaugural WTC final against New Zealand on Wednesday (June 23).
On the reserve sixth day, Kiwi pacers decimated the Indian batting line-up, bowling them out for 170 in their second innings.
Chasing 139 to win, New Zealand rode on skipper Kane Williamson’s 52 not out and Ross Taylor’s unbeaten 47 to overhaul the target with 7.1 overs left in the day.
According to Mohinder Amarnath, Team India were not fully prepared for the marquee clash.
"Team is balanced but you need practice games to get used to the conditions. So I think maybe they didn't have the time to prepare for the WTC final but congratulations to New Zealand they are the genuine winners," he said.
The 1983 World Cup winner believes better exposure in recent years have led to improvement of the side.
"We had great players right from the start but we didn't have the exposure. If we talk about great players like CK Naidu, my father, Vinoo Mankad in the 60s, 70s then the 80s so you see the performances improve when the exposure increases," he concluded.
(With ANI inputs)
