Virat Kohli should tone down a bit, says Michael Holding

Former West Indies legendary fast bowler Michael Holding reckons the Indian skipper Virat Kohli should tone down a bit. Kohli is well known for his over-aggression and he is someone who wears his heart on his sleeve. Kohli sometimes fails to keep his emotions in check and it is palpable on the field.

Meanwhile, Kohli plays with a lot of passion and he always looks to get under the skin of the opposition. However, Holding believes that Kohli’s aggression puts a bit of pressure on the other players of the team, who are on tenterhooks.

In fact, this has been Kohli’s style of play since his International debut. The Indian skipper is known to take the bull by its horns and there are no double thoughts in his process.

Michael Holding said while talking to Indian Express, “Virat Kohli is someone who wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s someone who will let you know exactly how he feels. I think he gets a bit carried away at times, but that is Virat Kohli, that is the man.”

Whispering Death, as Holding is famously known, likened Kohli’s style of play with legendary Viv Richards.

“He’s similar to Viv (Richards) in that regard. Viv, sometimes on the field, was over-expressive. But those are the personalities of those two gentlemen. They can tone down a little bit as well, but then, if you are a Mustang, it’s hard to tell a Mustang to trot. He’s going to gallop.”

“As far as his captaincy, I’ve only seen India when they were touring England and I saw them in South Africa. The only thing I’d say about Virat is that he tone down a bit so his team can relax because a lot of them, I think, are on tenterhooks,” said Michael Holding.

On the other hand, Holding believes the fitness levels and the improved pitches is the reason behind the rise of Indian cricket.

“Well, it’s a totally different era when it comes to Indian cricket. When I played against India, probably two of the players were fit. Now everybody on the field is fit. You see how athletic they are, how dynamic they are. The skill level hasn’t really changed that much but when you have fitness, and a change of attitude along with skill level, obviously the cricket will also change,” said Michael Holding.