Having watched Virat Kohli lead Royal Challengers Bangalore from close quarters, West Indies’ T20 captain Darren Sammy feels that the dashing batsman “loves to lead by example” which is in contrast to his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s “quiet way” of functioning.
“Virat loves to be involved in the game every moment while Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s style of functioning was to quietly do his things without saying much. Both are contrasting styles of captaincy but can be equally beneficial for the Indian cricket team,” said Sammy.
What Sammy liked during his seven-week stint at RCB was Kohli’s “passion” which makes the Indian stand out in the pack.
“Everyone knows Virat is a superb batsman and he has the ability to lead by example. He has that aggressive intent and wants to win matches. If he can bring that same passion and intent in his leadership for India as he does for the RCB, then it will be a great thing.
“But this is for sure that he will bring his own distinct style. I wish him all the best for the ongoing Bangladesh series,” Sammy, the World T20 winning West Indies skipper said.
Sammy did not have a great IPL as he got to play only two matches but he is now getting ready to lead the St Lucia Zouks in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League.
“It was disappointing (playing only two matches in IPL). I was struggling with a shoulder injury at that time. But after that I had a decent few matches with Nottinghamshire in the English T20 championship and I am now looking forward to the CPL. With a player like Kevin (Pietersen) in our side, we hope to do better than what we did last time,” said Sammy.
Sammy retired from Test cricket last year and stressed that he has “no regrets” quitting the longer form when he was only 30 years old.
“I have no regrets. I am very happy with my decision. In any case, a lot of people thought that the 37 Tests that I played were too many,” he said with a hearty laugh.
