5 players who enjoy Virat Kohli's extended support

In a game of cricket, a captain is usually the leader of the pack. Unlike in a game of football where defenders are often the captains and are away from the majority of the action, cricket requires its leaders to be on their toes, right in the face of the opposition and in the thick of things. We have had Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, and now Virat Kohli, everyone special in their own rights. The last name mentioned here is a special one in reference to this article.

He is not only one of the world’s best batsman at the moment but is slowly and gradually turning out to be a great, great leader too. He has a knack of picking the right players and identifying them with their roles, which he does for any side he leads.

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Such positive support can go a long way in not only making or breaking someone’s career but also for the overall development of the team. It is absolutely needless to say that after MS Dhoni’s retirement, the future of the team is in very able hands.

Below is a list of five players who have enjoyed Kohli’s support from time to time and even they have made sure to keep up his trust in them.

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#5 Mandeep Singh

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It is safe to quote that Mandeep Singh has enjoyed moderate success with the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise in the IPL. It is also safe to say that a lot of his innings have come at a crucial time in the game and therefore, the numbers would not show the real picture of the talent he possesses.

Once an India U-19 player and later IPL’s Emerging Player of the Tournament in 2012, Mandeep joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise in 2015. He still remains one of their most dependable middle-order batsmen. When the likes of ABD and Kohli are no more on the crease, it is up to Mandeep to see his side through a good total or a chase.

He made his debut for India in the T20 series in Zimbabwe and has played three T20Is for the nation. Though his name doesn’t linger much around for a national call-up, he is an integral part of Virat Kohli’s plans for RCB.

#4 Washington Sundar

All of 18 years, Washington Sundar has adapted best to the T20 format that many find it difficult to cope with, at such a young age. Having made his debut against Virat Kohli in the home T20 series against Sri Lanka, he has gone on to play six T20Is for the country and taken nine wickets at a miserly economy rate of 5.66 with his wily off-spin. The more striking fact is that he has bowled most of the times in the powerplay and has still gotten away without much punishment.

No doubt, the captain has been impressed with him. Sundar later played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise in the IPL. Apart from his bowling, he is also a handy lower-order batsman which he showed in the IPL recently. If given the right guidance and direction, he can find himself in India colours for a lot of years to come.

#3 Mohammad Siraj

Debuting in November 2017, Mohammad Siraj has played three T20Is for India against three different countries. On each of those occasions, his economy rate stood above 11. Certainly, his India outing did not go as planned. But as soon as the IPL came, Siraj was a changed bowler, and how. Picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the amount of confidence he showed whenever his captain threw the ball to him was simply brilliant.

He instantly becomes one of the most talked about cricketer on Twitter after his brilliant death bowling against the Mumbai Indians which his side went on to win. Capable of consistently bowling at speeds of 140 kmph, he is capable of going a long way. From a viewer’s point of view, it has been very heartening to see Virat Kohli back him during and between the overs as well.

#2 Yuzvendra Chahal

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A leg-spinner with a big heart, Yuzvendra Chahal is easily India’s newest find over the last couple of years. Chahal played a majority of his IPL matches at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore which is considered to be a nightmare for the bowlers. Having had a successful stint with the Royal Challengers Bangalore since 2015, his consistent performances earned him an India call-up on the tour to Zimbabwe where he debuted with a host of other players like KL Rahul, Jaydev Unadkat, and Mandeep Singh, he has not looked back ever since.

He is known to be Virat Kohli’s go-to man, be it for RCB or Team India. Having worked on his fitness of late, he is very much in India’s scheme of things for the 2019 Cricket World Cup and continues to enjoy his success with the Indian team. His fortunes have changed tremendously under Kohli’s leadership and guidance. His partnership with left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav has worked wonders for the team so far.

#1 Rohit Sharma

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A certain section of media has even gone on to the extent of saying that Rohit Sharma is often giving a longer rope, especially in Tests where he has failed on the expectations set before him. After cracking up two centuries in his first two Tests, much was in store for him before his consistency, went haywire.

The first two innings of his Test career yielded 177 and an unbeaten 111 runs respectively, which were incidentally the last two Tests of the great Sachin Tendulkar. Many would have thought that the mantle would have probably passed on from the Mumbai cricket point of view. Even after a string of poor scores, Virat Kohli has often persisted with him in the Test format.

Accused of throwing away his wicket after steady starts and that too at crucial junctures, it remains to be seen if he enjoys his captain’s support in the near future. As far as his form in the limited-overs is concerned, he undoubtedly remains one of the world’s best. Nicknamed ‘Hitman’, he has already scored three double centuries in ODIs, a record likely to stay for long.