Not winning an ICC tournament doesn’t tell us that Virat Kohli wasn’t a strong leader: Salman Butt

Salman Butt and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

Many would agree that Virat Kohli has been one of the best batters in world cricket in recent years although the former Indian skipper’s inability to win an ICC tournament caused fans to judge his stint as captain. Many people believe Kohli was a failed captain of the Indian team because he did not win a major tournament.

However, just because Kohli did not win an ICC tournament with India, it does not mean that he should be considered a failed captain, opined former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt.

“People who do not understand the game of cricket very well judge a captain’s performance based on how he has fared in the Champions Trophy or the World Cup. However, if you have a good win percentage and are tactically very strong, but haven’t won a big tournament, it wouldn’t be fair to say that you haven’t been a good captain,” Butt said in a video on his YouTube channel.

“There might have been a few mistakes in high-pressure games, or it might just have been a case of luck. Not winning an ICC tournament doesn’t tell us that [Virat Kohli] wasn’t a strong leader,” Butt added.

Kohli looks to get back in form in red-ball cricket

Kohli is currently a part of the Indian setup that is facing Australia in the four-match Test series. India took on Australia in the third Test at Holkar Stadium on March 1. After a dismal start, India were only able to post 109 runs on the scoreboard. Virat Kohli was the highest run-getter for the hosts, as the 34-year-old scored 22 runs off 52 deliveries.

India managed to dismiss Australian opener Travis Head early on, but Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne provided just the start that Australia needed. Khawaja played a fabulous knock of 60 runs off 147 deliveries before he was sent back to the pavilion by Jadeja. Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel will have to come through on the Day 2 if India want to have any chance of a comeback as only Ravindra Jadeja could manage to take wickets on Day 1.