Virat Kohli needs to tone down his aggression: Mohammad Azharuddin
Azhar also added that it would be tough for the dropped senior players to make a comeback into the national side.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: July 29, 2013 06:38 PM IST
Former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin considers Virat Kohli as a future captain of India but said the youngster needs to tone down his aggression and behave like a leader.
"He has to tone down. You cannot be like that always. I know he is a very good player with a big reputation. He is considered as the future captain and he has to behave like a captain," Azharuddin told reporters here.
Kohli, who successfully captained India to an unassailable 3-0 lead against Zimbabwe in the ongoing ODI series, has been in news for his aggressive on-field nature.
Recently, Kohli, miffed at being given out to a controversial catch during the second ODI against Zimbabwe, ended up arguing with the umpires even after the third umpire had ruled against him.
"Kohli's nature is different, I understand that but then everybody looks up to him. Being aggressive is good but he has to be aggressive from the inside, showing it on the outside won't help. If he tones down a little bit it will be good for him," said Azharuddin.
With the young Indian side winning three tournaments -- the Champions Trophy, an ODI tri-series in West Indies and the One-Day series in Zimbabwe -- on the trot, Azharuddin felt it would be difficult for the out-of-favour seniors to make a comeback into the national side.
"It is difficult for the seniors to make a comeback with the young team doing so well. Unless some players get injured, it will be very hard for these players to make a comeback. But they have been playing for India for so many years, they are experienced players. They have to perform well at domestic tournaments. If they do well, they can return. They all are in the running," the 50-year-old added.
Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan -- who formed the core of India's World Cup winning team in 2011 -- are currently out of team either with injuries or bad form.
"We need a mixture of experience and youth. We can't drop the current players just because they don't have experience, it won't be good for their confidence. So we have to select a balanced side for the tour to South Africa."
Azhar also had his say on the controversy over the use of technology during the on-going Ashes series. "Umpires should be given more responsibility. The game has been going for many years. Suddenly we have too much technology. The game is a great leveller and I think more power should be given to the on-field umpires," he said.