Friday, May 13, 2011

Kohli lauds Gambhir's leadership skills

BANGALORE: Virat Kohli is a young man with a wise head on his shoulders. Of late he has taken to responsibility in the most heartening way. So it was wasn't a surprise when he spoke about how it would be take the field in the ODI series against the West Indies next month as defending World champions.

"Reputation is at stake," he agreed. "But we just want to concentrate on doing the things right on the field and am sure the results will follow. We have a good enough side, we have really talented players in the team and if everyone shares equal amount of responsibility and pressure, I think we are going to come out with good performances," said Kohli.

"Obviously, with the senior players not being there, it is an added responsibility," he said of his own role in the side in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. "You need to be more wary of how you go."

That said Kohli was certain that in the absence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has at last been given a most deserved break from cricket, Gautam Gambhir would do a great job.

"I have played under him before and he is a very good captain. He motivates the players to give their 100 percent in the field and I think that's his best quality that I observed in the New Zealand series we played in India," said Kohli of Gambhir's captaincy.

"Plus his leadership skills are good because he takes his plans into the field and he knows what plan to go with and obviously he has a Plan B as well. He has a great temperament and in pressure situations, he always backs his bowlers and always keeps asking all the team members to give a 100 percent in the field which he does as well."

Kohli was finished as yet. "The kind of attitude, the kind of aggression he has in himself, he channels it to all the players as well," said Gambhir's fellow Delhiite who's no slouch himself when it comes to aggression.

toi

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