Published 10:56 IST, November 18th 2020
Virat Kohli much like Sourav Ganguly in terms of impact: Ex-Australia coach John Buchanan
John Buchanan, who was Australia‘s coach from 1999 to 2007, reveals how Virat Kohli holds a few traits like former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly.
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Virat Kohli has been Team India's most important asset in recent times. John Buchanan, who was Australia‘s coach from 1999 to 2007, compared him with former Indian captain and current BCCI President Sourav Ganguly for his impact on Indian cricket. Buchanan explained how Ganguly‘s turnaround and ideologies have brought Indian cricket to where it is now and how Kohli has upheld Ganguly's beliefs.
Speaking with Sportstar, Buchanan spoke on how Sourav Ganguly instilled a different way of playing and conducted the Indian team against strong oppositions like Australia once he took over as captain in 2000. He goes on to add how the developing rivalry was taken to another level by the current BCCI President. Buchanan also went on to point out how current Indian team captain Virat Kohli is also doing the same thing with the Indian team.
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John Buchanan impressed with Virat Kohli
Buchanan also spoke on India’s Test series triumph Down Under during their last tour to Australia. He goes on to share how impressed he was with Virat Kohli and his ability to lead his side to the Test series win. He mentioned how irrespective of Kohli’s form, he has done an incredibly good job as the captain of the team.
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Acknowledging the contributions of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, the former Australian coach revealed how Kohli's contribution in terms of his leadership and captaincy alongside the way he instills greatness - not only to win games but also in finding a way to beat teams has helped India a lot.
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Indian captain Virat Kohli is only scheduled to play the first Test match that happens to be a pink-ball game starting on November 27. Kohli has been given paternity leave as he would return to India and be with his wife Anushka Sharma to attend the birth of their first child. Speaking on the same, Buchanan feels Kohli’s absence from the final 3 Tests is going to play a pivotal part in the way the series turns out.
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The former Aussie head coach also spoke on the difficulties the Indian team will face on the long tour. He says how the India vs Australia 2020 tour is India’s first big Test assignment since February and how the players will face problems in playing in such a bio-bubble environment for a long. Buchanan again emphasized the importance of Kohli, who is a very positive and engaging person and cares about his team very much off the field as well.
India squad for Australia 2020
India's Test squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Mohd. Siraj.
10:56 IST, November 18th 2020