'Virat Kohli has not won any ICC title neither has he won the IPL' - Salman Butt wants Kohli to learn from Kane Williamson

Virat Kohli will go down as one of the best captains India has ever had, in terms of sheer numbers of his captaincy record. However, he is yet to win an ICC Tournament. Since taking over as captain in all formats in 2017, his team has lost two finals (ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and ICC World Test Championship 2021) and a semi-final (ICC Cricket World Cup 2019). 

According to the former Pakistan captain, Salman Butt has opined about the things which Kohli’s captaincy lacks. It should also be noted that Kohli has not won a single IPL trophy, despite being the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore since the 2013 season. Butt made a point that if Kohli continues to fail to win trophies, then the masses won’t remember his captaincy. 

“You can be a very good captain but if you don’t win any title, the masses won’t remember you. Maybe you are a good captain and have good plans but your bowler may not be able to execute it. So luck has to be on your side as well. People only remember those who win tournaments,” Butt said on his YouTube channel.

A good captain is one who has won big events: Salman Butt 

Butt, further said that a captain can sometimes be lucky in having a really good side and might end up having some success because of that. “Sometimes you may not be a great captain but your team may be very good and you may end up winning a major title. So that does not define a captain but for the world, of course, a good captain is one who has won big events,” Butt added. 

Butt further drew a comparison with Kane Williamson and also said that Kohli should model his captaincy style around how the Blackcaps captain led his team. The former Pakistan batsman further said that his energy levels are different and he wants to do well for his side, but as a captain, he should be subtle and not fiery. 

“Virat Kohli has not won any ICC title neither has he won the IPL. He is a top-class cricketer, has excellent body language and is aggressive. His energy level is at a different level, and it is evident that he wants to give his best every time he steps out in the middle. But captains should be subtle and not fiery,” he added.

Butt further made a point that most of the captains who have won ICC Tournaments had cool or gesture-less expressions at crunch moments. However, Kohli is a man full of gestures. This is something the former Pakistan cricketer believes the Indian captain needs to change in order to have more success. 

“We kept hearing during the WTC final, that it is a battle between fire (Virat Kohli) and ice (Kane Williamson). Most top-class captains who have won titles were cool or gesture-less at crunch moments. Virat Kohli is a man full of gestures. Had he won, he would have been praised no end,” Butt concluded.