Former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes that India skipper Virat Kohli cannot be compared to Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni when it comes to captaincy. While Rohit and Dhoni has won four and three Indian Premier League (IPL) titles respectively, Kohli has led his side to the final just once in 2016.

“I think he (Rohit) is probably right up there. He has won four IPL trophies and if you talk about IPL cricket, he is the most successful captain. He captained the team in Asia Cup and won it so he is probably next to Virat Kohli,” Gambhir said in an interview to ESPN Cricinfo.

This year, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had a horrible start to their campaign and ended up with the wooden spoon with 11 points. On the other hand, Rohit and Dhoni faced off in the summit clash with Mumbai Indians claiming their fourth title with a one-run win over Chennai Super Kings.

“And I have always maintained that you cannot compare Virat Kohli to Rohit Sharma or MS Dhoni. They are four-time and three-time champions (in the IPL) and you haven’t won the IPL. So from the captaincy point of view, you can’t compare them. He (Rohit) is right up there at the top now and I think the whole country knows about it.”

Gambhir, while giving the keynote address at the CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) International awards 2019, said that the Indian squad for the ICC World Cup lacks another genuine fast bowler.

“I feel Indian team lacks one more quality fast bowler. Bumrah, Shami and Bhuvi need more support. You may argue that India has two fast bowling all-rounders in Hardik and Vijay Shankar but I am not convinced. In the end it boils down to getting the team combination right and sticking to it,” the 2011 ICC World Cup winner said.

First Published: May 15, 2019 17:15 IST