Graeme Smith clarifies his previous statement about captain Kohli

Former South African captain Graeme Smith has now elucidated his earlier comments on whether Virat Kohli he was the right man to lead the Men in Blue in the long run. In January, after Team India lost the second Test match of their South Africa tour in Centurion, Smith had questioned whether the Kohli would be capable of handling the pressure of overseas failure as a captain or India was better off with someone else at the helm.

Kohli had indeed faced quite a bit of criticism from media and fans on social media alike for team selection after losing two back to back Test matches. However, the man literally shut everyone up with the team’s brilliant comeback in the third Test in Johannesburg – not only by winning and ending up with a scoreline 2-1 but also by showing extreme spirit and gutsiness on a pitch that got reported to ICC for misbehaving.

“I don’t know; when I look at him, if he is a long-term captaincy option for India. At the end of this year, he’d have been away from home for a while, the pressure he’ll face, the scrutiny from the press – I know he only gets that in India – but if you’re away from home and you’re struggling for form as a team, I don’t know if I’d want to burden Virat Kohli with that…” Smith had said – “Or if India have a better leader in that environment,” he had added.

Misinterpreted

But speaking from Switzerland, where he is for the St Moritz Ice Cricket Tournament, Smith claims that his previous comments were meant in a positive and constructive manner and he sincerely hopes that Kohli goes on to be as successful.

“Virat is an incredible player. My comments on his captaincy were constructive. I hope captaincy does not burden Virat. He will mature as a captain with time and he holds the Indian team together,” he told India Today.

In the ongoing ODI series, he has taken up his responsibility of being the captain well and good. India have won all the three matches so far with their skipper leading the crusade from the front, scoring 112 in the first match in Durban, 46* in Centurion and 160* in the third match in Cape Town. He ended the Test series as the leading run scorer with 286 runs and now in the same position for the ODI series as well, with 318 runs already under his belt and three more matches to go.