India vs West Indies 2016: Ajit Wadekar lauds Virat Kohli's captaincy

Much has been said about Virat Kohli's rise from a competent batsman to a very capable leader. Former India captain Ajit Wadekar is the latest to laud Kohli on his skills as both a player and a captain. Wadekar, best remembered for captaining India to its first ever series victory against the West Indies and England cricket teams, has nothing but words of encouragement and praise for the Indian captain.

“A good captain has to first appreciate the limitations of his team,” the 70-year old said in an interview to The Telegraph. After an emphatic series win overseas, Kohli has left his critics silent and has proved that he is capable of leading by example.

His calm and strategic planning did not escape the notice of the cricket veteran either. Speaking to the newspaper from his Mumbai residence, Wadekar said, “You need bowlers capable of taking 20 wickets. Equally, you need a captain who understands his attack and can motivate his bowlers. Credit to Virat for the way he has handled both the new-ball bowlers and his spinners.”

“Understanding the team's strengths is fairly easy, the challenge is to quickly know the limitations and to evolve a strategy to cover all bases,” he added.

Wadekar also ended up comparing the team he played with to the current Indian cricket team. He provided a comprehensive analysis of Kohli as a captain speaking from his experience as someone who has been in a similar position before. Speaking fondly about India's historic win 45 years ago, Wadekar was asked to reflect upon the factor that led to it.

One standout aspect of the game we all remember is Sunil Gavaskar's 774 runs with an average of 154.8 in the series. When the question was put to Wadekar, he replied in a pragmatic fashion. “I'd say strategy. The game plan has to cover the opposition's and one's own team's pluses and minuses. But, really, it was all a very long time ago," he said, modestly.

Strategy is what, he said, helped India this time too and Virat Kohli had a massive role to play in it. "From a distance, I believe Virat has understood that. In any case, he seems a willing learner, which is an excellent quality to possess. Virat comes across as a keen student of the game. Going forward, he can only get better," he assured.

The erstwhile Indian cricket manager also heartily congratulated the team in West Indies for their emphatic win on opposition turf. “A big dose of congratulations to the team currently in the West Indies. Both wins were emphatic and special mention has to be made of Virat, particularly the way he has handled the attack,” he stated.