Former South African captain Graeme Smith on Tuesday raised questions about Virat Kohli's ability to get the best out of his team, ahead of the third and final Test match, here in Johannesburg.
"Sometimes as a leader you've got to consider how you impact the others in the environment, that's an area of his leadership that he needs to grow. You can see, he's often at his players. He's very aware, he's focus on the game is on, sweeping or mid-on. But often his reaction to situations... I think that can sometimes impact on your team negatively," espncricinfo.com quoted Smith as saying.
Kohli's reaction to events in the Centurion Test was certainly displeasure with the rest of the team.
His reactions made Smith wonder if he is indeed a long-term captaincy option for India.
"I don't know when I look at him, if he is a long-term captaincy option for India. At the end of this year, he'd have been away from home for a while, the pressure he'll face, the scrutiny from the press - I know he only gets that in India - but if you're away from home and you're struggling for form as a team, I don't know if I'd want to burden Virat Kohli with that... Or if India have a better leader in that environment," the most successful Test captain for the Proteas added.
Kohli has captained India in 34 Tests and has fielded a different XI every time.
In the process, apart from wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha and newcomers Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, everybody has been dropped by Kohli at least once, according to espncricinfo.com.
Earlier last week, Virat Kohli lost his cool in a press conference, when media persons questioned the captain about team selection, while linking it with the series loss against South Africa.
"What is the best 11?" Kohli had counter-questioned a reporter.
"If we had won this, was this the best 11? We don't decide the 11 according to results. You are telling me that you could have played the best 11. You tell me the best 11 and we will play that," the skipper had said after India lost the second Test and the series at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.
This was also Kohli's first Test series loss as a full-time captain.
The third and final Test match is scheduled to begin on January 24 at the New Wanderers Stadium.
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