Aaron Finch lauds Virat Kohli for living up to expectations

India captain, Virat Kohli, has been lauded by Australia limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch for knowing how to handle the pressure that comes along with his role.

Kohli presently leads India across the three formats, and he has been breaking records with his performance as well after being named India Test captain mid-way through the team’s tour of Australia in 2014. He replaced veteran, Mahendra Singh Dhoni after the Chennai Super Kings captain called time from the longest format. He was also named the captain of the side in the limited-overs format in 2017 after Dhoni stepped down from the position.

Speaking on the Facebook page of Sony Ten Pit Stop show, Finch noted that the pressure of playing for the men in Blue is one, but leading it is another. Therefore, he stated that the way Kohli has done it consistently for a long time deserves commendation.

While noting that taking over from Dhoni was a huge thing, the Australian said that the expectations were high, and Kohli remained undeterred as he kept delivering.

The cricketer, who described this as the most impressive thing about Kohli, said the presence of Dhoni as a wicket-keeper had immensely helped the skipper. He further explained that Dhoni is still on the field judging from the impact he had made, helping Kohli change angles and other minor details.

Speaking further on post-Dhoni’s captaincy, Finch likened it to that of former Australia captain Ricky Ponting. Finch stated this because he believed that Ponting helped his successor ease into the role.

It could be recalled that Ponting resigned as the team captain after Australia crashed out of the 2011 World Cup. He later walked away into the sunset in November 2012. He, therefore, stated that the team has a similar impact.

India will be hoping to travel Australia for the T-20 World cup scheduled for late this year. But it remains unknown if the country would be able to host it with the present restriction put in place post-COVID-19.

Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed