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Virat Kohli’s energy and aggression in every match makes him unique in modern cricket. While his aggressive attitude makes him stand out as a personality apart from others on the field, it can be problematic for him and the team he plays for, feels former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes.
Rhodes discussed with Kohli during the ongoing ODI series between India and Afghanistan. During the conversation, he also expressed his opinion on the much talked about Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar debate.
Jonty Rhodes has evaluated Virat Kohli as a fielder
Jonty Rhodes believes that Virat Kohli’s approach from a captaincy point of view was different from MS Dhoni’s approach. The former cricketer, who was considered one of the best fielders of his generation, considered Virat to be a good fielder, but not the best. Why doesn’t he give a star cricketer as high a status as a fielder? Mostly because of aggression.
Rhodes says that sometimes when the match gets out of hand, Virat Kohli’s aggression has no effect.
‘He is extremely aggressive’
“It was very different from MS from a captaincy point of view. But that’s consistent. Virat Kohli, when he’s batting, when he’s in the field, when he’s the captain, that’s what he does. When I’m watching him as a fielding coach, I look at him. He’s not the best fielder in India, but he’s a great fielder. His energy is unbelievable,” Jonty Rhodes said during a chat on Prakhar Gupta’s YouTube channel.
“My only concern is that when he is overly aggressive, it is great when everything is going well. But if things are not going well for the team, where does that aggression go? It is very easy to come out in the dressing room environment,” he added on the same stream.
When asked about the Virat Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar debate, the Protea cricket legend said that there is no need to continue this debate as both of them are from different eras, and have achieved a lot on their own terms.
Rhodes ends Virat vs Sachin Tendulkar debate
Statistically, on paper, Virat Kohli may be ahead of Sachin Tendulkar, but that comparison is irrelevant as the game has changed a lot over the years. Instead of inducting great players, Rhodes suggests celebrating the fact that India has produced two generations of batsmen.
Jonty Rhodes said, “There is so much cricket. He is not getting free time. I know he is only playing franchise cricket in India. But there is not too much free time. His body is strong, mentally and physically, he is in such good shape that from a records point of view he could be better than Tendulkar.”
“I can ask many questions. Who is better? But why are you trying to compare them? Isn’t it amazing that India has produced these two most amazing generational batsmen? Straight after each other… It should be celebrated rather than compared. These are two players in one country who have inspired billions of people,” he concluded the debate.