In a rare appearance as a TV commentator, Mohammed Azharuddin expressed his worry over Virat Kohli's now infamous temperament. The former Indian captain, known for his cool demeanour and wristy flicks through mid-wicket, was among a high-profile panel of cricketer-turned-commentators on the sets of IPL broadcasters, Sony Six.
"Virat is a gifted cricketer. I would like the world to remember him as a batsman and not for his temper," Azharuddin said.
Kohli, who was named India's Test captain after Mahendra Singh Dhoni quit during the series against Australia, has often made headlines for the wrong reasons. His run-in with a journalist during the World Cup did not amuse the BCCI and recently, Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Kohli was reprimanded for breaking anti-corruption protocols when he visited girl-friend Anushka Sharma during a rain break at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
"He is a great choice as Test captain but he can spoil everything if he can't control his temper. It is a worrying factor," said Azharuddin.
The former Test skipper welcomed BCCI's decision to have separate captains for Tests and ODIs/T20s. "It's the right decision. Kohli is a good choice for Test matches as long as Dhoni is available to play the shorter formats," he said.
Sunny Gavaskar, the Great Mimic!
Sunil Gavaskar, former Test opener and one of the world's most respected commentators, has a funnily wicked side as well. It was in full show on Sunday evening as Gavaskar made his predictions for the IPL final between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.
Gavaskar, dressed in peacock blue kameez and creamy salwar, delighted the Eden Gardens crowd with his bowling, but his on-screen mimicry left everybody in splits. Gavaskar 'copied' two of Sony Six's leading lady IPL presenters - Archana Vijaya and Shibani Dandekar. It caught several viewers, including the anchor Sameer Kochhar unawares as Gavaskar mimicked Shibani's 'speed' of speech and Archana's body-language and mannerisms.
A Dash of Bollywood
Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders may not have played at Eden Gardens on Sunday, but Mumbai Indians had a fair share of Bollywood support. A good mix of the old and the new was present at Eden with the evergreen Anil Kapoor winning a lot of fans over. The dashing Ranveer Singh, with his right hand in a sling, and the rocking Farhan Akhtar made their presence felt.
But Sunday's ultimate heroes were the cricketers as more than 65000 'neutral' fans packed the historic Eden Gardens to cheer Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, two teams that deserved to be in the IPL final.