India vs Australia 2017: John Buchanan says both Virat Kohli and Steve Smith have made errors in leadership

What’s the story?

Former Australian coach John Buchanan has come down heavily on the leadership styles of both Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, stating that leaders are meant to lead by example and both men knew they have made a few mistakes in that regard over the course of the ongoing series.

"Every leader has his or her specific styles. What is more important for team leaders is that they are men of integrity, lead by example in every action and behaviour. I think both gentlemen know that they have made errors in leadership, if we are analyzing their respective performances in this regard and using 100% as the only acceptable grade," the two-time World Cup winning coach told the Times of India.

Buchanan, though, was of the opinion that Smith was the best choice of captain for Australia at the moment and added that with the guidance of coach Darren Lehmann and others, he was constantly improving as a leader.

"I think there is little doubt that he is the best captaincy choice for Australia. With guidance of coach Lehmann, high-performance manager Pat Howard and significant voices around him at various times, his leadership skills are improving," he said.

In case you didn’t know...

The ongoing India vs Australia Test series has seen action not just on the field but off it as well, with both captains taking a dig, particularly after the Bengaluru Test, which saw one of the most explosive press conferences an Indian skipper had chaired in recent times, with Kohli taking potshots on how he had seen the Australians look at the dressing room on more than one occasion, while trying to decide whether to opt for the Decision Review System(DRS) or not.

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The heart of the matter

Speaking about the DRS, Buchanan was quite vocal in his views about the technology, stating that he was not in favour of it and because of its inaccuracies, it could create unwanted friction between teams adding that the system required significant review.

He also said that business could imbibe many important lessons from cricket and also from sport, in general.

What’s next?

In what promises to be an enthralling culmination of a series that has seen some absorbing cricket, both India and Australia will be looking to make the Border-Gavaskar Trophy their own in the fourth and final Test of the series that begins at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala from Saturday.

The big question mark remains the availability of Kohli, who has not yet fully recovered from the shoulder series that he sustained during the Ranchi Test.

Author’s take

While Buchanan is partially right in stating that both Kohli and Smith have made a few errors, one needs to understand that verbal altercations, both on and off the field have become a norm in India-Australia contests.

As long as teams don’t get too personal in their comments, it is alright for them to involve in banter.