Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes that Virat Kohli could still contribute a lot to the Indian cricket team despite quitting the captaincy. He also hailed Kohli as the best ever India captain in Tests.
Despite the fact that Kohli is no longer the captain of the Indian cricket team in any format, having stepped down as Test captain last month, Pathan believes the dashing cricketer will help the new white-ball skipper, Rohit Sharma, in a leadership role.
Pathan told Sportstar, “He is not the captain, but as long as he is in the team, he is a leader. He will help the new captain to do the right thing. He sent out the right messages, and he took the team's fitness to another level. I am sure he will help out others, especially Rohit Sharma. Every captain contributes uniquely. Kohli had his energy, Rohit will give you calmness.”
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The former all-rounder also lauded Rahul Dravid and the Indian cricket board, saying the BCCI has done a good job during the COVID-19 pandemic by conducting a number of domestic tournaments.
He continued, “It is commendable that they organized both the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournaments and that too with so many teams. And we have people like Rahul Dravid in decision-making roles. I had suggested last year to him that we should turn the Under-23 age group into Under-25 so that the youngsters don't lose their two years.”
Irfan has also expressed his elation over Deepak Hooda’s selection in India's ODI squad for the upcoming three-match ODI against the West Indies, starting on February 6 in Ahmedabad.
He further added, “I remember him coming to the Moti Bagh Stadium along with his father and I started practicing with him. What he did in the last two years speaks a lot about his character. He has nice wrists, he is a gun fielder and match-winner.”
He also enjoyed playing at the Legends League Cricket (LLC 2022) tournament, saying “it is a great platform for former players” to enjoy the game time.
(Sportstar inputs)
