During the second Test match between India and the West Indies in Port of Spain, former India pacer Zaheer Khan highlighted the significance of Virat Kohli adopting the role of a mentor at this juncture of his career. Speaking to Jio Cinema, Zaheer expressed his belief that the enjoyment factor will be crucial for Kohli now that the weight of captaincy has been lifted off his shoulders.
Kohli, who scored his 29th Test century in India’s first innings against the West Indies in Port of Spain, demonstrated his form and finesse. Zaheer praised the Indian batsman, stating, “He’s constantly involved in the game. I think that those aspects are very important for him going forward. But it’s so good to see him in a good space and scoring runs. I think that’s what he should just do right now.”
Notably, with the captaincy duties behind him, Kohli is now in a position to guide and mentor the younger players in the Indian squad, which boasts talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Ishan Kishan. Zaheer emphasized the importance of this mentorship role for Kohli and how it would keep him engaged and motivated.
“He should enjoy this part of the career where he’s actually going to be guiding youngsters like, you know, Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan. That mentor role is going to be expected of him at this stage in his career, something that he does anyways, but you know that keeps you going and keeps you in the game,” said Zaheer.