Virat Kohli looks inspirational as a leader: Gary Kirsten

Former India coach and South African batsman Gary Kirsten recently quoted Virat Kohli as an inspirational captain during a press meet. In a conversation with the PTI, Kirsten spoke on various issues ranging from Kohli’s captaincy to the newly incorporated racial quota in the South African national team.

Kirsten is in Jaipur in order to collaborate with the Rajasthan Cricket Association and come up with an academy for the youngsters in the state. He said that he is absolutely happy with the facilities RCA has been providing and is looking forward to establishing an academy that would not only physically train the youngsters but also give them training on the mental aspect of the game.

“It is wonderful to work with the Rajasthan Cricket Academy. I am here on a business venture. My high performance academy will be helping the talented Gen-Next cricketers of Rajasthan get a taste of quality modern day coaching which look at the technical as well as the mental aspect of their game. They will learn qualities of strategic planning, reacting to match situations,” Kirsten quoted.

Gary Kirsten was the head coach of the Indian team when India lifted the ICC World Cup in 2011. Virat, a young man then, had been making giant strides in cricket. He has come a long way since then. Speaking on Kohli, Kirsten was all praise on his captaincy. He said that the Indian Test skipper looks inspirational in the manner in which he carries himself.

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“Virat has been a great captain for India. His talent was always unquestionable. He has led by example with his on-field performances. His leadership at the Test level has worked really well for the national team. The best part about Virat is that he looks so inspirational as a leader in the manner he walks in the field,” said Kirsten.

When asked to draw comparisons between Kohli and MS Dhoni, Kirsten played a defensive stand saying it would be inappropriate to judge the two skippers of the Indian national side and their consistency as leaders.

“Dhoni is a very good captain. I had thoroughly enjoyed working with Dhoni during my tenure as India coach. But since I have not watched the Indian team play all formats on a consistent basis, it will not be fair on me to compare Virat and Dhoni’s consistency levels,” Kirsten said.

Commenting on scrapping of the two-tier Test system by the ICC recently, Kirsten had a firm stand saying things do not matter as long as good quality of cricket is on display.

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“I am fine either way as long as there is high quality Test cricket. I don’t think it would be monotonous if some of the top nations play each other on a regular basis. But whatever is best should be done,” he remarked.

Talking about the racial quota introduced by CSA in the national team, Kirsten was supportive of the cause. He called the move as a bold step and stated that it will give equal opportunities to the players. “I completely support the inclusive policy in national sporting teams. It gives equal opportunity and is truly representative of the values our great nation stands for. It is a bold step in a forward direction. It is a step that addresses the imbalances of past,” commented the former South African opener.

He added that the decision should have come a little earlier and admitted it to be a great decision for the people of South Africa.

“It is a strong move something that was needed since it has been 25 years since post-apartheid era and the integration is more necessary than ever. Whoever is a part of South African society should be able to embrace the decision as a citizen of this country. It is a great decision and it has taken 40 years to reach here,” he added further.

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