‘Virat Kohli has his say in everything’: Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif talks about India captain’s leadership

Terming Virat Kohli a ‘complete leader’, Latif said the India skipper has his say in ‘everything’. His stature and achievements as a batsman also helps him in calling the shots when it comes to selection for a particular series, believed Latif.

There may have been a lot of talk about split captaincy in Indian cricket but former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif believes current India skipper Virat Kohli’s attitude and leadership skills have helped India develop into a better team.

India's captain Virat Kohli (AP)

Terming Kohli a ‘complete leader’, Latif said the India skipper has his say in ‘everything’. His stature and achievements as a batsman also helps him in calling the shots when it comes to selection for a particular series, believed Latif.

“Virat has developed into a leader and in cricket and sports, when you are made the captain, you have to become a leader,” Latif told a Pakistani YouTube channel.

“...and by that, I mean you have to be respected on and off the field. You have to stand up for your players and you have to take the hard and out of box decisions,” he said.

“You look at Virat today and he is a complete leader and his own stature as a batsman has also helped a lot. But you can see in the attitude of the Indian team and their selection, Virat has his say in every thing,” he added.

Latif wanted Babar Azam, who was recently appointed as an all-format skipper, to learn from Kohli and become a leader like him for Pakistan.

“I think Babar has to become a leader like Virat rather than just being a captain of the team,” Rashid said.

“I think Babar is also on the right path and I felt he had his input in the squad selected for the New Zealand tour. I think Babar because of his exceptional batting talents has the makings of a good leader.

“He may seem meek and an introvert but he is mentally very strong and has game awareness and you can see this in his batting,” Latif said.