Virat Kohli has it in him to do a Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni, feels former Windies captain

Virat Kohli will be shouldering the dream of over a billion to give India their third world title at Lord’s on July 14 with the final of the 2019 World Cup. With the Men in Blue’s impressive run in the limited-overs format over the recent past, coupled with the captain’s unbeatable ability to score runs, the expectations are not exaggerated but can India deliver?

While fans and former greats do not doubt the team’s potential to lift their third World Cup the next summer, opinions are still divided on Kohli’s leadership skills. Is he too aggressive to do a Kapil Dev of 1983 or Mahendra Singh Dhoni of 2011? Former Windies captain Darren Sammy, however, believes that the 30-year-old has it in him to accomplish the feat his two famed predecessors achieved.

Kohli has the qualities to win WC

“With the World Cup being played every four years, he has to win the World Cup next year. I am not sure if he will be around when during 2024 (2023) edition. But I am sure he has the qualities to win India the World Cup,” Sammy, 34, was quoted as saying by India Today.

Team India is currently ranked No.2 in ODIs, next only to hosts of the World Cup – England, also favourites to lift the trophy. But India have started to find the right combination for their high-profile campaign that kicks off at Rose Bowl in Southampton against South Africa on June 5.

Kohli has also proved that his batting is least affected by the burden of captaincy. In India’s last ODI series against the Windies, the Indian skipper slammed three consecutive hundreds and became in the process, the quickest to reach the 10,000 runs club in the 50-overs format. In terms of centuries, too, Kohli now has 38 in ODIs and is just 11 short of the table topper, Sachin Tendulkar.

Sammy, who was part of the Windies squad that won the T20 World Cup in 2012 and 2016, said: “Virat is one who leads by performance, he is a consistent performer.”

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