ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Virat Kohli a fantastic leader who doesn't shy away from responsibilities, says former skipper Kris Srikkanth

Former India opener and chairman of selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth loves the fact that current captain Virat Kohli never shies away from taking responsibility, which is a hallmark of a good leader. Srikkanth, a key member of the 1983 World Cup winning team feels that Kohli’s aggression complemented by Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s calm will again bring back the World Cup. [caption id=“attachment_6205501” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Virat Kohli. AP[/caption] “We have a fantastic leader in Virat Kohli, who leads by example. A good thing about him is he takes up responsibility. So King Kohli will do it (again) along with the cool cucumber Dhoni,” Srikkanth said. Srikkanth seemed pretty happy with the composition of the 15-member squad for the World cup, which he believes has all the ingredients to emerge victorious. “It’s a superb combination of exuberance, passion, calmness together. The Indian team should not put any pressure on itself and play with a sense of self-belief.” Srikkanth, who was also a chairman of selectors for the 2011 World Cup winning squad, said all great Indian cricketers are defined by one characteristic trait. “If you talk about self-belief, one thinks of Kapil Dev, for passion, it is Sachin Tendulkar, talk about exuberance and aggression, think of Virat Kohli and talk about calmness and determination, one thinks of MS Dhoni.” The former Indian captain was present at an event arranged by ICC Cricket for Good in collaboration with UNICEF called #OneDay4Children. The initiative will use the influence and reach of the cricket World Cup to help children learn, play and be healthy. The money raised will support UNICEF’s work for children in cricket playing nations across the world. #OneDay4Children ambassador Nasser Hussain and England all-rounder Chris Woakes launched the tournament-wide campaign last week. There will be activities for children throughout all 48 matches of the world cup, peaking with a day of celebration during the England vs India game on June 30 at Edgbaston. “Cricket is a great unifying factor and it gives you a lot of lessons. You develop your personality, life skills, learn about stress management, leadership, communication, and teamwork,” said Srikkanth. “Sports itself is an education. You can’t be just a bookworm nowadays. Children have to play sports and be healthy. Sports is an important part of school curricula because if you want to shine in life as a human being, you need to be good in sports. Cricket teaches you all these things,” he added. For all the latest news, opinions and analysis from ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, click here