New Zealand pacer Tim Southee feels Virat Kohli can now fully focus on his batting after being relieved of captaincy in ODI format.
The captaincy debacle between Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Sourav Ganguly and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) seems to have calmed down now, after an eventful two weeks. Ever since Kohli announced his decision to step down as the T20I skipper, various issues came to the fore, and now the ODI and T20I captaincy rests with Rohit Sharma.
New Zealand pacer Tim Southee however, feels that the change in captaincy could indeed help liberate Virat Kohli, as he would then be able to focus more on his individual performances. Southee, who himself has experience of more than a decade in international cricket feels the Virat will have more freedom now.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, the veteran Kiwis bowler revealed that captaining a side like India, or any Indian Premier League franchise too, takes a toll on the player.
"There's pressure that comes with captaining a side like India and also the IPL franchises. It will be interesting to see as he has done it for a period of time now. For a fan or someone who enjoys Virat Kohli bat, it will be quite interesting to see how he goes about his business, (with) the freedom that he has now to put all the energy that he was putting into captaincy to now channel that into his batting and fielding," said Southee.
He further added, "I am sure he will be contributing in some form of leadership throughout the rest of his playing days."
Having played with Kohli in the IPL at Royal Challengers Bangalore, the New Zealand pacer recalled his playing days with the Indian red-ball skipper, revealing that he thoroughly enjoyed their time together.
"He is very passionate about the game we play and he loves the game. He brings the energy for the side. Just getting to know him away from cricket, what an amazing guy he is... It was an amazing experience to have the two years at RCB and share the changing room with him. To share the experience of how he goes about his business and also, how he is as a person," Southee stated further.
While Kohli is currently gearing up to face South Africa in a three-match test series from December 26, New Zealand will take on Bangladesh in a two-game test series in January.
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