Former India batsman Virender Sehwag has taken a dig at Virat Kohli ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s clash against Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2022 Eliminator.
The batting legend once again highlighted Kohli’s poor tactics as captain as he praised Faf du Plessis for his leadership in the ongoing competition. Before the start of the season, RCB had named du Plessis as Kohli’s successor.
Kohli led RCB from 2013 to 2021 but could not guide them to the title. During his tenure, the Bangalore-based outfit managed to make it to the playoffs just once in 2016. Throughout his tenure as a captain, Kohli faced severe criticism from several quarters.
One of the reasons behind the criticism was Kohli’s penchant for constantly changing the playing eleven and Sehwag has once again highlighted that issue.
Virender Sehwag highlights difference between Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis:
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Virender Sehwag stated that the appointment of du Plessis as captain and Sanjay Bangar as coach has changed the culture of RCB. Taking a dig at Virat Kohli, Sehwag said that the former RCB captain hardly showed faith in any player.
Sehwag also stated that appointing an Indian player as captain would have backfired for RCB. The former cricketer said that an Indian player would have accepted Kohli’s advice under pressure as he opined that appointing du Plessis as the captain avoided such a scenario.
“The arrival of Sanjay Bangar as head coach and a new captain has changed RCB’s thinking. We have seen how Virat Kohli used to think as he used to drop a player after no performance in 2-3 games. But Bangar and Du Plessis have kept the team almost consistent throughout. Except Patidar for Anuj Rawat, I don’t think they made any changes due to poor performance,” Sehwag said.
“If an Indian player had been captain and if Virat Kohli had given him some advice, he might have had to accept it under pressure. So this is what has changed with Du Plessis as captain. Sanjay Bangar has also worked with Kohli and he can have a conversation with him about that although he gives advice, the team wants to do something else,” he added.
RCB have indeed looked like a solid side this year and have also not experimented with their playing too much. The three-time finalists are into the playoffs and are eyeing their first-ever IPL title. A win against Lucknow will see them book a place in the second qualifier where they will play against Rajasthan Royals.