Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has launched a censorious attack on Bangalore’s skipper Virat Kohli by saying that his leadership cannot be compared to the likes of Rohit Sharma (Mumbai) and MS Dhoni (Chennai) and that he should consider himself lucky because, after all these failures, the team has stuck to him as the captain.
Kohli, who has been with BAN since its inception in 2008, first captained his side in 2011 where they ended as the runners-up. Being named as the full-time captain in 2013, the Bangalore franchise has failed to meet the expectations despite having some of the best names in their squad.
Under Kohli, the team has won 44 games out of 96, recording a winning percentage of 45.83, and have progressed through the playoffs twice only to bow down soon after.
Reflecting over the facts, Gambhir – who led KOL to 2 Indian T20 League titles - has said that Kohli cannot be compared to the likes of Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni because he is yet to guide his team to glory.
"Still a long way to go. I don't see him as a shrewd captain or a tactful captain as well. And he hasn't won the tournament. So ultimately a captain is only as good as his record till the time you don't win the tournament. There are people who have won the trophy three times... there is MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. So I think he has a long way to go," Gambhir said in an episode with Star Sports.
The former KOL skipper added: "You cannot compare him to someone like MS Dhoni or Rohit Sharma at this stage because he has been part of BAN and captaining BAN for the last seven to eight years and he has been very lucky and should rather thank the franchise that they stuck to him because not many captains have got such a long run where they haven't won a tournament. He should be very thankful to the franchise as they have stuck with him."
