Virat Kohli has elements of Ricky Ponting and myself in his captaincy, says Steve Waugh

Former Australia skipper Steve Waugh feels India captain Virat Kohli’s style of captaincy has elements of him and Ricky Ponting, PTI reported.

“There’s probably elements of Ricky and myself in his captaincy, but having said that he’s his own man,” Waugh told cricket.com.au.

Waugh applauded Kohli, who has been at the receiving end of constant verbal attacks from the visiting Australian team and the media during the ongoing four-Test series, for his ability to make his side play as a unit.

“He’s obviously a very aggressive captain, he encourages a lot of talk amongst his troops and he’s got positive body language. And they’re all the traits that I liked in my sides,” Waugh added.

The 51-year-old believes that the Indian players lift their game up for their skipper. “I always believed the way you carry yourself is important, that you give off positive vibes to each other and the opposition sort of sense that ‘this is a team that’s really together’. Virat Kohli certainly does that. His players play for him, which is a great sign for a captain,” Waugh said.

Kohli’s aggressive intent might not have found fans across the board, but Waugh backed the 28-year-old’s style, calling it the “new face of India” while also comparing him with two-time World Cup winning captain Ricky Ponting.

“Ricky Ponting was a similar type of player; he’d roll his sleeves up, get stuck in, he’d go into bat pad if he needed to and led by example. And Kohli certainly does that,” Waugh said. “He’s the new face of India, he can get in your face, he’s aggressive, he’s positive, and he leads in a certain way so the other guys know how he wants the team to play,” Waugh added before saying, “(But also) I’m glad he’s got a bit of me in his captaincy.”