We need strong coach to control Kohli's temperament : Bedi

May 23, 2015

New Delhi, May 23: Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi feels that BCCI needs to appoint a "strong coach" to guide the temperamental Test captain Virat Kohli, who has courted a lot of off-field controversies in recent times.

Kohlis temperament"I believe Virat needs a good coach, who will be an able guide. That coach should be able to take charge of his temperament. He (Kohli) is so impulsive and it needs to change. Cricket is not kabaddi or kho-kho. If you want to play the game for a long time, you should be in control of your temperament," the legendary left-arm spinner told PTI during an interaction here on Thursday.

Bedi is not too happy with a section of media eulogising Kohli's "aggressive attitude".

"Media created this image of Kohli and media will destroy him also. He needs to be very careful. Every move of his will be monitored consistently. Whether he is holding the fork in the right or left-hand will also be scrutinised," said Bedi, who is known for expressing his frank views.

Asked whether there are strong personalities who can complement Kohli's aggression and in-your face attitude, Bedi did not give a direct reply.

"Look how Ravi Shastri and Sourav Ganguly look at Kohli, might be completely different from how Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid look at him. Look cricket is a sport that teaches you humility and a lot of good values," said Bedi.

Asked whether Kohli is a losing a bit of focus, Bedi replied, "I hope that's not the case."

While Bedi termed Harbhajan Singh's inclusion as a "backward step", he necessarily didn't agree with Sunil Gavaskar's opinion that "spin cupboard is bare".

"I don't think so (cupboard being bare) but if it is so, have we tried to identify why is it so? It is because of this IPL we are not getting quality young spinners. A youngster bowls a dot ball and a commentator on air say 'brilliant dot ball'. I mean brilliant dot ball! Come on, how can we describe a dot ball as brilliant."

"Selectors have picked this guy Karn Sharma in Test squad for bowling four overs of IPL. I mean he has played 35-40 first class matches (73 wickets in 38 first-class matches) but what exactly has he done?" asked Bedi.

"I see so many confused young players now because of IPL.

That Punjab opener (Manan) Vohra, Unmukt Chand, Sanju Samson all seem confused. Now there is this new guy Sarfaraz Khan. He is talented but he needs to do well in first-class cricket.

You can't simply undermine the value of first-class cricket and only have IPL as a benchmark," concluded Bedi.

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News Network
January 28,2020

Hamilton, Jan 28: No one sits on the seat that Mahendra Singh Dhoni made his own in the team bus, revealed India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, saying that the talismanic former skipper is missed by the side.

In a video shot inside the team bus while it was on its way to Hamilton for the third T20 International against New Zealand, Chahal is seen talking to several members of the squad including Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul.

Towards the end of the video, he moved to the rear of the bus and pointed to an empty seat which, he said, was the former captain's preferred spot before he went on a sabbatical last year.

"Yeh woh seat hai jahan ek legend baithate the. Mahi bhai. Abhi bhi yaha koi nahi baithata. Hum unhe bohot miss karte hai (This is the seat that used to be occupied a legend. MS Dhoni. No one sits here now. We miss him a lot)," Chahal said in the video posted on 'bcci.tv'.

The-38-year-old Dhoni has not played a competitive game since the World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand on July 9. Earlier this month, Dhoni was dropped from the BCCI's list of centrally contracted players, raising fresh doubts on his future.

However, on the same day, Dhoni returned to training, batting fluently in the Jharkhand team nets.

Head coach Ravi Shastri has hinted that the celebrated wicketkeeper-batsman might retire from ODIs soon but will be in contention for a T20 World Cup berth provided he does well for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.

The Indian team lead the five-match T20 series against New Zealand 2-0.

Virat Kohli's men will take on the hosts in the third T20 here on Wednesday.

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Agencies
February 12,2020

Mumbai, Feb 12: Former Indian greats Kapil Dev and Mohammad Azharuddin have been left disappointed by the behaviour of the Under-19 team after the World Cup final where they were involved in an altercation with their Bangladeshi counterparts.

After Bangladesh won the final beating India by three wickets (via DLS) at the Senwes Park on Sunday, the players of the two teams were seen engaging in an exchange of words and even some pushing and shoving on the field.

"I would like to see the board (BCCI) take some strict action against the players to set an example. Cricket is not about abusing the opponent. I am sure there is enough reason for these youngsters to be dealt with firmly by BCCI," Kapil was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

"I welcome aggression, nothing wrong in it. But it has to be controlled aggression. You can't cross the line of decency in the name of being competitive. I would say it was unacceptable that youngsters put up such an obnoxious display on the cricket field," he added.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has sanctioned five players, including three from Bangladesh -- Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain and Rakibul Hasan --and two from India --Akash Singh and Ravi Bishnoi for the scuffle.

Azharuddin also reiterated what Kapil said, insisting that players need to be disciplined.

"I would take action against the errant Under 19 players, but I also want to know what role has the support staff played in educating these youngsters. Act now before it is too late. The players have to be disciplined," Azharuddin said.

Earlier, Bishan Singh Bedi has lashed out at the Priyam Garg-led team, saying their behaviour was disgusting and disgraceful.

"You bat, bowl and field badly�happens, but there's no excuse for behaving badly. The behaviour was disgusting and most disgraceful. The innocence of that age was not visible at all," Bedi told Mid Day.

Bedi, who represented India in 67 Tests and 10 ODIs, said the behaviour of the Bangladesh cricketers is not our problem.

"Look, what Bangladesh do is their problem, what our boys do is our problem. You could see that there was abusive language used," he said.

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News Network
April 21,2020

New Delhi, Apr 21: India skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday said people seem to have become more compassionate while coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and hoped the sense of gratitude towards frontline workers like doctors and police personnel remains even after the crisis is over.

Speaking in an online class organised by "Unacademy", Kohli and his actor wife Anushka Sharma spoke at length about the challenges they faced before tasting success.

"The one positive out of this crisis that we as a society have become more compassionate. We are showing more gratitude to the frontline workers in this war, be it police personnel, doctors or nurses.

"I hope it stays this way even after we overcome this crisis," said Kohli with Sharma seated next to her.

Kohli said the pandemic has taught the world a very important lesson.

"Life is unpredictable. So, do what makes you happy and not get into comparisons all the time. People have a choice now how to come out of this phase. Life is going to be different after this," said the skipper.

For Sharma, the pandemic has forced people to care about the basics in life.

"There is a learning in all of this. Nothing happens without a reason. If the frontline workers were not there, we would not have access to basics," she said..

"This has taught us that no one is special than the other. Health is everything. We are more connected as a society now," she added.

During the session, Kohli was asked about the moment when he felt most helpless.

"I felt nothing was working for me when I was not picked for the state team initially. I cried the whole night and asked my coach 'why did I not get selected'?" he responded.

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