Irfan Pathan reveals why he would have loved to play under Virat Kohli's captaincy

From Kapil Dev and Sourav Ganguly to MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, Indian cricket has witnessed a significant shift in captaincy styles during the past few decades. Each skipper has a few distinct traits which affect the functioning of the side. Many players, who have braced the field under several captains, can easily point out the difference in their captaincy styles.

Former India all-rounder is one such player who has donned the national jersey under several skippers. After starting his career under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly, Irfan went on to play under Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni and Anil Kumble. Irfan, who played his last international match in October 2012, never got the opportunity to play under current Team India skipper Virat Kohli.

Irfan even donned the jersey of many IPL franchises– Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiant, and Gujarat Lions. However, Irfan has never plied trade under Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Virat Kohli is the definition of a leader: Irfan Pathan

In a recent interaction, Irfan Pathan explained why he would have loved to play under Virat Kohli’s captaincy. “I don’t know if it would be fair to say in one line. I would have loved to play under Virat Kohli’s captaincy,” he said in an Instagram Live interaction with ESPNCricinfo presenter Raunak Kapoor.

“He is the kind of captain who backs his players, he goes out of the way to back his players. He is actually the definition of what a ‘leader’ is, he is a leader,” he added.

Irfan also highlighted Dhoni’s leadership skills and said that the Ranchi stalwart has matured as a captain through the years. Irfan also pointed out the duration of team meetings didn’t change throughout Dhoni’s captaincy expedition with the Men in Blue.

“He was much calmer in 2013. Look, in 2007 it was the first time and you understand that when you’re given a big responsibility of leading the country, you always get excited about certain things. Obviously, the meetings were always smaller even in 2007 and in 2013 Champions Trophy as well, there were no differences in terms of 5-minute meetings,” Pathan said.

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