"Have no doubt over Virat Kohli's captaincy credentials" - Kamran Akmal backs under-fire Indian captain

Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal has backed Virat Kohli to continue as Team India captain despite the side's loss to New Zealand in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. According to Akmal, Kohli is a wonderful captain and he alone cannot be blamed for the team’s inability to win ICC events.

Virat Kohli’s leadership qualities as well as his individual performances have come under the spotlight after India failed to win yet another ICC event, going down to the Kiwis by eight wickets in the WTC final.

Sharing his views on Virat Kohli’s captaincy, Akmal said on the ‘My Master Cricket Coach’ YouTube channel that the Indian skipper has not had luck on his side. The wicketkeeper-batsman stated:

“Virat Kohli is a big player and a fantastic captain. He is aggressive and very emotional. Any captain who has come in has only taken Indian cricket forward. It started with Sourav Ganguly, then Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni took over. Yes, everyone has complained that Virat Kohli hasn’t won any ICC trophy. But, apart from that, he has won almost everything. India have won so many series’ under Virat Kohli. He has been a bit unlucky, but I have no doubt over his captaincy credentials. He is a great captain and match-winner."

"It (India not winning ICC events) is not completely Virat Kohli’s fault. What is the guarantee that another captain can come in and win India an ICC trophy? As a team, they have to analyze why they are not winning the big events. They reach the last stages but fail at the final hurdle. It will be unfair to blame only Virat Kohli. According to me, as long as he feels that he can do the job, he should continue,” Akmal added.

The flawed legacy of Virat Kohli. Was the greatness tag bestowed upon the Indian captain prematurely? https://t.co/SiindFooWk via @sportskeeda #WTC2021Final #WTCFinal2021 #WTC2021 #Virat #viratkohli

— Renin Wilben (@reninwilben) June 27, 2021

Would be an absolute crime against cricket to get rid of Virat Kohli as captain: Graeme Swann

Earlier, former England spinner Graeme Swann also backed Virat Kohli to continue as captain despite Team India’s disappointing effort in the WTC final.

Praising Virat Kohli, Swann told Sportskeeda in an exclusive chat:

“Virat Kohli is an absolute champion and a superstar. He has added steel to the Indian team. You only have to see his passion whenever a wicket goes. (Look at) His face when there is a misfield. He is 100% committed to that job. To get rid of Virat Kohli at the moment, when you have such a good captain, would be an absolute crime against cricket. I don’t think they should look elsewhere. India lost that game because they were underprepared and under-cooked going into that Test match.”

Virat Kohli was dismissed for 44 and 13 in the two innings of the WTC final. He fell to his RCB teammate Kyle Jamieson on both occasions.