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'Kohli is an amazing character, we need people like him'

Last updated on: September 08, 2021 13:31 IST

'Those that complain are just boring. They don't understand entertainment.'

Virat Kohli

IMAGE: India captain Virat Kohli had mocked the Barmy Army by pretending to play the trumpet following Jasprit Bumrah's delivery to dismiss Ollie Pope during the fourth Test at The Oval. Photograph: Christopher Lee/Getty Images for Surrey CCC

Former England captain Michael Vaughan hailed Virat Kohli as an incredible leader, saying the India skipper gave a tactical masterclass to how to win a Test match.

 

India won the fourth Test by 157 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the-five match series, with the bowlers putting up with a remarkable performance with the ball on the final day at The Oval in London on Monday.

"Virat Kohli is an incredible leader. He's just got this buzz of energy. He was taking the piss out of the Barmy Army with these trumpet signs. I love it. We don't have enough characters in the game and mimicking the crowd, trying to get his own supporters going. When they came out after lunch he was getting them going. It was like he was at the end of the long jump in the Olympics trying to get the crowd going," Vaughan told Fox Sports' The Back Page.

"He's an amazing character and yesterday he gave a tactical masterclass on how to win a Test match. Those that complain are just boring. They don't understand entertainment. We're in the entertainment industry where we need people like Virat Kohli. We need characters," he added.

On the final day of The Oval Test, Kohli had mocked the Barmy Army by pretending to play the trumpet following Jasprit Bumrah's delivery to dismiss Ollie Pope.

"You go back to the 80s and 90s there was character (after character). We work with them; Shane Warne one of the great characters, an absolutely great guy, mad as a box of frogs. But you know that you've got a great character in the commentary box and on the field, and when you get someone like Virat Kohli, who stands out because we don't have a lot of characters, there are not many teams that have characters who are willing to do what Virat does, and he's very prickly, he doesn't like criticism, he's always answering back to anyone that criticises him, again, I like that, it's not a problem," said Vaughan.

"What he's doing with this Indian Test match team is fantastic for the game because we need India to love Test match cricket, and with Virat at the helm leading this side, they're certainly doing that and they're playing to a great standard and they're doing a job on my team," he added.

Source: ANI