One day before the start of the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Virat Kohli has stated in no clearer terms who he thinks is the boss of Indian cricket.
‘The way my personality and character is, I am the representation of new India,’ said the Indian skipper during the pre-match press conference.
Virat was responding to a question about Greg Chappell calling him ‘the most Australian non-Australian cricketer of all time’ and how he reacts to ‘this kind of adulation’ while even on the road.
‘Firstly, I would like to say that I have always been myself. The way my personality and character is, I am the representation of new India. For me, that’s how I look at it. In my mind, it’s not (about) being compared to the Australian mindset as such. For me, it’s how we have started to stand up as the Indian cricket team and my personality, has always been this way, from day one.’Virat Kohli, Captain - India
Virat also spoke about handing over the captaincy to Ajinkya Rahane after the series-opener when the Indian skipper heads back home to India to be there with his wife for the birth of their first child.
Kohli called leading the team a collective effort and said it was not just about him strategising in front of people,.
"Firstly we have had mutual understanding and respect over the years. We have had great partnerships batting together which is based on trust and understanding of what needs to be done for the team. Jinx (Rahane) has done a tremendous job in the two practice games that have happened. He seems to be very composed and knows the strengths of our team and how we need to go about things," said Kohli.
"Actually, the way we have played our cricket has been a collective effort of the whole team. It is a cultural effort and not only down to me strategising in front of people. It is the whole team that is important to it. We already know the template that we play with and how we want to go about things," he added.
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