Virat Kohli should thank RCB for persisting with him as the captain: Gautam Gambhir

It goes without saying that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have been one of the under-performers in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise is captained by Virat Kohli, who’s shouldering the mantle from 2013 onwards. The Delhi-born batsman’s records have been incredible as a batsman, so much so that he is currently the second highest run-scorer in the history of the tournament.

However, his records as captain haven’t been impressive as he has a win percentage of 45.83, having won 44 games out of 96 for his franchise. In the meantime, Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian cricketer, mentioned that the 30-year-old Kohli isn’t a ‘tactful captain’ and one shouldn’t compare him with the likes of MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, the two most successful skippers in the event.

You cannot compare him to someone like Rohit or Dhoni

“Still a long way to go. I don’t see him as a shoot captain or a tactful captain. And he hasn’t won the IPL. So ultimately a captain is only as good as his record till the time you don’t win the IPL. There are people who have won the trophy three times – MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. So I think he has a long way to go,” Gambhir was quoted as saying on Star Sports’ analysis show ahead of IPL 2019.

The 37-year-old Gambhir didn’t mince any words in saying that Virat is lucky for the reason that RCB has persisted with him as the skipper despite his indifferent numbers in the role. Kohli is a part of the Challengers from the inaugural season itself after he was drafted in following his decent shows in the U19 World Cup.

“You cannot compare him to someone like Rohit or Dhoni at this stage because he has been part of RCB and captaining RCB 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,” Gambhir added.

The upcoming edition of the prestigious IPL is scheduled to start on Saturday, March 23 and Kohli’s RCB would be facing the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the tournament opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

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