Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen on Thursday suggested the “hard” life in the bio bubble could be one of the reasons Virat Kohli stepped down from the Test captaincy, as he supported Rohit Sharma to lead India in all formats. Kohli stunned the cricketing world by stepping down as Test captain after India lost to South Africa in the 1-2 series. He had previously relinquished the T20 captaincy after last year’s World Cup, something that sparked a war of words with BCCI, leading to his removal from the ODI leadership. “People who criticize the modern sportsmen I think are foolish because these bio-bubbles are very difficult to play in,” the former England star batsman told PTI in a group interaction on the sidelines of Legends League Cricket in Muscat.
“It will be very unfair to be too harsh, to be critical. Because you haven’t watched Virat Kohli. Kohli needs hustle, he comes (from it), he’s an entertainer.”
“I think it’s very difficult for his personality to perform as well as possible (in the bubble).” Kohli, 33, held the record for most Test wins by an Indian captain (40) with only Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh having won more games than him.
Pietersen said he was not surprised when Kohli stepped down as captain of all formats.
“A lot of players have suffered. It’s the most beautiful job in the world. But if you put them in a bubble, it’s definitely not the most beautiful job, because there’s no fun,” said the 41-year-old.
“I’m actually not surprised that Virat wants a break from that extra pressure because it’s damn hard to play in these bubbles,” he said.
“It is very difficult to assess all international athletes, whether they are Premier League footballers or any other athlete, who are playing in a pandemic.” From his perspective, Pietersen said he would not have performed well for two years without an audience and without watching.
“As a batter, I feed on the energy of players, and there are a lot of these players, be it in football, rugby or tennis.”
Vice Captain KL Rahul leads India in the ongoing ODI series in South Africa with Rohit Sharma injured. Pietersen supported Rohit to captain India in all formats.
“I’ve always loved ‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma. He’s a fantastic player, every time he’s hitting I have to watch. His captaincy is great for the Mumbai Indians too. So he’s probably next in the game.” row,” said Pietersen.
Recently, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar backed the young Rishabh Pant to become the Indian captain, but Pietersen said it would be the wicketkeeper’s turn one day.
“You’re spoiled for choice… But not Pant yet, maybe someday… But if you’ve got Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, you’ve got some mighty cricketers.”
“I love Rahul Dravid. I’m looking forward to his progress with the national team. He’s done wonders for the youngsters…. So I’m looking forward to seeing him make progress with the older players,” said Pietersen.
The Englishman is part of the World Giants who will open his campaign against the Asian Lions team in the Legends League Cricket here on Friday.
promoted
“Believe me, when you get over the white line you want to play well. We are all looking forward to it.
“This first edition will be a difficult one purely due to the lack of time, but when season two takes place in September, the guys will be much better prepared. It’s our responsibility to grow the game here,” he concluded. he.
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