How Matthew Hayden lauded passionate captain-coach duo of Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri
Mumbai: Former Australia batsman Matthew Hayden recently opened up on Team India captain Virat Kohli, terming the Delhi batsman as an ‘extremely consistent player’.
The 46-year-old, when asked about Kohli’s success as a captain, showed no surprise .
“It's no coincidence that currently Virat is sitting as the fourth most successful captain of all times, statistically,” he was quoted saying by DNA.
“When you look at some of the other great names, I was just looking at them just now. Virat is sitting fourth in the list with a win ratio of 61 per cent. Highest being Stephen at 71 per cent. He is right up there as someone now that has got the capacity to lead well and lead successfully across multiple formats, “ he further stated.
“He has lifted the benchmarks in areas of weakness as well of which fielding was one. He is also blessed with remarkable grounds and the improvements in the standards of cricket in this country also have been having a direct impact on whether someone is going to dive,” he continued.
He also added that the Indian cricket team have improved vastly since his early days of playing cricket.
“They (Team India) have come a long way since the early days when I started playing against India. (Maybe) not all the elements of the game, but I think the overwhelming sense of a concept of a Team India as opposed to a broader group of extremely talented individuals.
“Largely, that is testimony to the vision of Virat Kohli and his grand plans for Indian cricket. He does (things) in ways that are beyond his own batting and which I think is a sort of what every talented leader does,” the Brisbane-born batsman said.
He also was of the opinion that the current Indian cricket team’s aim was to win matches.
“The actual Indian cricket landscape has changed. I think their ambition to play the best in the world, around the world, is a really positive sign for cricket. You cannot be No. 1 side if you don't play well both abroad and domestically. Virat has got that firmly entrenched on his blue print for Indian cricket moving forward.”
He also went on to say that the rapport between Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri could be a positive sign for the team.
“I see a lot of changes and I see at the helm is a very good leader with excellent support staff. You can imagine the kind of conversations that Ravi Shastri (chief coach) and he will be having off the field. They would be very intelligent, robust discussions. They are two very passionate people and the support staff around Ravi as well.
“You have to give a lot of credit to what I think is a very good appointment to Indian cricket. Some of them are wise, some who know the game well, who know the layers of the game, the impact the media can have. Ravi is a good solid individual,” the former Queensland cricketer opined.
When asked about Virat Kohli’s batting record on foreign soil like England, Hayden said that it was difficult even for himself to score runs on English pitches.
“If I can speak on my career, I found England a really hard place to play for very similar reasons that Virat Kohli does. We both love to score, we both love to hit the ball,” he concluded.
