Sydney: Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, who represents Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, said there’s no room for individual ideologies in Virat Kohli’s dressing room.
“He expects everyone in his team to be exactly the same as him. Which is a great thing as a leader for him and for the Indian team, because he expects a lot of his teammates,” Watson told the Daily Telegraph.
“He expects everyone to be on board with exactly how he is, and of course he’s more outward with how he does that, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad at all. I wouldn’t say he’s got a temper, he just rides the highs and lows of the game from an emotional point of view.
“He wants to win, he hates losing and as a captain that’s how he’s built. One of the things I absolutely love about Virat is he’s got such a deep down burning desire to win — and obviously he’s up to pushing the limits. It’s a great thing for his team because they just get behind him as well,” he added.
The 35-year-old spent the final chapter of his international career under the stewardship of Steve Smith, a leader, he says, every bit as impressive as Kohli.
According to Watson, Kohli and Smith are similar personalities, both driven by an insatiable hunger to win no matter what the cost. “I just know more than anything how much it means to these two guys,” said Watson.
“They’re both ultra-competitive. Virat’s outwardly more emotional about how much he loves winning. Steve has that same burning ambition … he’s just not as visible as Virat. I think it’s two players who are the best in the world and in time they will be greats of international cricket,” he said.
“To see two young skippers going head-to-head like this in such an awesome series. A lot of people love to be able to see them putting it all on the line.”
