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SpORTS JANUARY 21, 2022 | The Indian Eye 46

Gurukul art school teacher gives a finishing touch to a painting in tribute to cricketer Virat Kohli Indian head coach Rahul Dravid (left) will play an important role in the selection
as he steps down as India Test captain, in Mumbai (ANI) of Kohli’s successor (ANI)

winning matches for the country,” 79 and 29 in his last match as Test
said Rajkumar Sharma. captain. Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten
“That is the whole idea like he century in the second innings has lift-
has seen his seniors doing the same ed him 10 places to 14th. Fast bowl-
and playing well for the country ers Jasprit Bumrah’s six wickets have
also.” lifted him back to the top 10.
“So, I think in the same way Vi- Head, who scored 101 in the first
rat will also continue as a batter and innings in Hobart to finish with a se-
he will focus more on his batting and ries topping 357 runs that also got
he will also help the younger captain him to clinch the Player of the Series
and youngsters coming in the team award, has advanced seven spots to
and that is in his DNA. fifth while Rohit Sharma, who was
He wants to help and he wants earlier on the fifth position, dropped
to help the Indian team. For that, I one place to sixth.
think he can contribute better now Head’s previous best ranking
and as a batsman, he can focus on his was the 10th position that he occu-
batting,” he added. pied last month.
India’s stand-in ODI skipper Australia’s Travis Head has
KL Rahul on Tuesday said that Vi- reached a career-best fifth position
rat Kohli had an amazing quality as among batters in the ICC Men’s
a leader and he was able to get the Test Player Rankings after his Play-
best out of everybody and keep them er of the Match performance in the
motivated. fifth match of their ICC World Test
“When it comes to leadership, Championship series against En-
Virat had this amazing ability to get gland.
the best out of everybody, he pushed In the meanwhile, former En-
everybody and made us believe that gland skipper Kevin Pietersen feels
we can do special things. That is India’s white-ball captain Rohit
something I have learnt from him Sharma will be the best Test cap-
and hopefully, I can do that with the tain too for the side. Kohli last week
team as well,” he added. stepped down as India’s Test captain
Meanwhile on Friday, Virat after leading the side for seven years.
Kohli on Wednesday became India’s “Virat Kohli was a good cap-
highest run-getter in away ODIs. The tain but if he wants to go then that
33-year-old achieved the feat in the could be anyone’s personal decision
ongoing first ODI of the three-match no one can interfere in it,” Pieters-
series against South Africa here at en said on the sidelines of Legends
the Boland Park, Paarl. After scoring League Cricket.
nine runs in the ongoing ODI, Kohli Rohit Sharma may be the next Test captain (ANI) “Rohit Sharma will be the best
went past Sachin Tendulkar who had Test captain for India as his leader-
scored 5,065 runs in the away ODIs scored a ton against Bangladesh in the three-figure mark has kept on ship quality was too good and he has
for the country. the day-night Test at the Eden Gar- evading him. five IPL trophies so no one can beat
Kohli had last registered an in- dens. After that, the batter managed Also, Virat Kohli has moved up him in the race of Test captaincy I
ternational century in 2019 as he to get half-century several times but two places to seventh after scores of guess,” he added.

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