Monty Panesar, former England spinner, didn’t mince any words and was highly critical of Virat Kohli’s leadership qualities, as Virat Kohli’s reputation as a leader took a stern blow as Team India struggled to find its foot at the ongoing T20 World Cup in UAE.
The Men In Blue started their campaign on the back of a crushing defeat against arch-rivals Pakistan -a 10 wicket drubbing, and there was no change in fate when the team faced New Zealand a week later-losing by 8 wickets. India, however, staged a strong comeback by beating Afghanistan by 66 runs on Wednesday, but their fate no longer remains in their own hands.
Monty Panesar: People Will Criticize Virat Kohli As A Leader For Failure To Turn Things Around When Team Was Under Crisis
With early exit fears from the T20 World Cup still looming large on India, former England spinner Monty Panesar didn’t mince any words and was highly critical of Virat Kohli’s leadership qualities. The ex-cricketer claimed that the 32-year-old will always be remembered for his batting heroics, but will have plenty of naysayers when the topic shifts to his captaincy. Monty Panesar’s remarks came ahead of India’s do-or-die encounter against Afghanistan, which they won comprehensively in Abu Dhabi.
“People will remember Virat as a great batsman and massive chaser but will always criticize him as a leader because he couldn’t do anything when the team was under crisis and he failed to turn it around,” the former England spinner was quoted as saying in a Times of India report.
The Indian batsmen Ishan Kishan (4 off 8 balls), Rohit Sharma (14 off 14 balls), KL Rahul (18 off 16), Virat Kohli (9 off 17), Rishabh Pant (12 off 19) failed when it mattered most against New Zealand, losing the second successive match after the one against Pakistan where Rohit Sharma (0) and KL Rahul (3) failed as openers.
One of India’s most successful captains, Virat Kohli, led India in 95 ODIs with 65 wins and 27 defeats. In 48 T20Is so far, where he has been the captain, India has won 30 times while losing 16 times.
Monty Panesar: India Can Still Qualify, But Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri, And MS Dhoni Needs To Be On The Same Page
Sharing his views on India’s dismal run at the World Cup, where the team endured one-sided defeats against Pakistan and New Zealand, Monty Panesar blamed the management and said the skipper, coach, and the mentor have to come to align on the same page.
“India can still qualify. They can still turn it around. But it needs a lot of things and all will depend on Virat, Ravi, and Dhoni. Virat, Ravi, and Dhoni need to be on the same page. I believe they are not,” Panesar remarked.
India’s Net Run Rate has improved a lot, but they need to continue the good work by keeping momentum intact and beat minnows Scotland and Namibia by good margins and then hope New Zealand lose at least one of their next two games to Afghanistan or Namibia.