Mike Hussey believes Ricky Ponting and Virat Kohli were driven by the will to win. (Source: Reuters)
Former Australia batsman Mike Hussey has likened Virat Kohli’s competitive edge and sheer desire to win with that of former Australia captain Ricky Ponting. He explained Kohli’s aggressive captaincy style matches with what Ponting would try to achieve. “Kohli has been brilliant. I like the way he captains. I like his aggressive nature and his will to win. He had this desire to push his team as far as he could. He set very high standards during training and in the game. I do see some similarities with Ponting. The will to win, that competitiveness,” said Hussey to PTI during an interaction.
The Australian team will be in India next month, following their tour of Bangladesh, from September 17 to October 11 and they will play five ODIs and three T20Is. Hussey reckons the series will be a competitive affair. “It will be a good series hopefully. They play their one-day cricket well. They have some good players and have won some good (ODI) series here over the years, though not in the Tests. The key will be to not rely on any one player. It is not one person that is the key. Everyone needs to know what their job is and perform as well as they can,” said Hussey.
India are currently on a winning spree but Hussey believes victories over Sri Lanka shouldn’t be a benchmark of things to expect from Australia in the series. “I am sure their confidence will be high after the Sri Lanka series. They also have an excellent limited-overs team. However, a ODI series against Australia is different,” claimed the former left handed batsman who had recently claimed he was open to coaching CSK – the IPL side he had once represented.
CSK return to the IPL next season following a two year ban and Hussey expressed delight with the team making a comeback. “I am very excited about CSK being back. I have great memories (of CSK) as a player. Love the franchise. There will be challenges with the team coming back after two years out. They had a fantastic run with Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captain. Stephen Fleming did a fantastic job as a coach, plus they had good support staff and good owner that allowed the players their way. These were ingredients to build a successful team. If they do things right, there is no reason why the CSK can’t be successful again,”he said.
Staying in the Tamil Nadu but shifting to TNPL, Hussey spoke highly of the Australian skipper. “Smith has been brilliant. He reads the game well. It obviously agreed with his own batting. Since he has been captain, his form has been incredible as well. He has been an excellent captain as well,” said Hussey.
With numerous youngsters coming through the IPL and domestic cricket, Hussey singled Washington Sundar as a special talent. “Sundar is talented, looks a very good player and KB Arun Karthick is a nice player too, bats very well. The TNPL is bringing to the fore some good cricketers, who can go on to play in the IPL and for India too.”
