Virat Kohli’s Attacking Mindset Draws Praise from Former India Spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan
Former India spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan has lauded Virat Kohli’s aggressive on-field approach, comparing it to the legendary Vivian Richards. In a recent interview on Sony Sport’s Tamil Cricket Podcast – Cricket Petta, Sivaramakrishnan praised Kohli’s ability to intimidate bowlers with his eyes and celebrate his emotions on the field.
“Kohli’s attacking attitude is something that he himself enjoys and celebrates. You should show your emotions. You shouldn’t be like a machine on the ground. You should have an attitude like Sir Vivian Richards who would intimidate bowlers with his eyes,” Sivaramakrishnan said.
Sivaramakrishnan also named Kohli and MS Dhoni as the best red and white ball captains respectively. “Kohli’s attacking attitude and MS Dhoni’s calm demeanour. For me, the red ball best captain is Virat and the white ball is Dhoni,” he said.
The veteran spinner also recalled his playing days under Sunil Gavaskar, whom he considers the best captain he played under. “Sunil Gavaskar was the best captain, I played under. He was very good with strategy and analytical in approach. Kapil Dev was a very instinctive captain. He will go with his gut instinct. He gave an extra over to Madan Lal in 1983, that’s instinctive captaincy,” Sivaramakrishnan said.
Sivaramakrishnan further praised Gavaskar’s ability to give players freedom and Venkataraghavan’s excellent leadership skills. “With Sunil Gavaskar, you can ask for anything but you have to justify it, why you want to do it. If you do that he will give you the freedom to set your fields and plan your attack. Venkataraghavan was also an excellent captain, he was wonderful as captain,” he added.