“Would Be Nervous Of A Virat Kohli Who Doesn’t Have Leadership Responsibility”: Former South Africa Batter Jonty Rhodes

Former South Africa batter Jonty Rhodes had his say on Virat Kohli’s decision to step down as India’s Test captain a month after Rohit Sharma was appointed as India’s full-time white-ball skipper. Kohli had quit as India’s T20I captain after the World Cup in November. A month later, he was removed from the ODI captaincy too. Rhodes said it was a “personal decision” and Indian fans should rejoice at the fact that Kohli is still playing and is ready to contribute towards the team’s cause in whatever way he can. Rhodes, in fact, went on to state that teams should be more wary of Kohli now as would be eager to score heavily to prove a point as a batter.

“I’d be a little bit nervous of a Kohli who doesn’t have the responsibility of leadership. Not that it cost him anything. I think he scored incredible runs for India. But he is such a passionate guy that he would want go out there and score heavily just to show that he is still relevant to India in any capacity,” Rhodes told NDTV in a media interaction facilitated by Sony Sports Network.

Rhodes, still rated by many as one of the best fielders ever to have ever played the sport, is currently busy with the Legends League Cricket in Oman.

Rhodes lauded Kohli for his stunning performance as a captain. “With regards to him stepping down (as Test captain), it’s always a personal decision. He’s obviously not retired. Many captains leave the job and just walk away but Kohli’s still around. He is very passionate. We know how he plays the game. He is always 100% committed. His work ethic is just as strong. He obviously thinks he has a role to play for India still, just not as a captain. You have to respect someone like him for what he has done.

“I can’t judge him and guess the reasons for him stepping down as India’s Test captain. But if he is still there, surely that’s a good thing” he added.

Kohli is India’s most successful Test captain with 40 wins in 68 matches. Under his leadership, India won a Test series in Australia for the first time and also held on to the top spot in the ICC rankings for a long time.

Rhodes said former India captain MS Dhoni was the one to put utmost importance on physical fitness and Kohli just took that to a whole new level.

“Someone like Dhoni started the turnaround, showing people where you can be if you are fit and you are strong. Kohli just took that to another level,” said the former Proteas cricketer.
Asked about who should replace Kohli as India’s next Test captain, Rhodes preferred to sit on the fence

“There’s a few players out there who can get the opportunity. But I have no idea,” he added.

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