Virat Kohli losing white-ball captaincy will be weight off his shoulders and help him contribute more, says Tim Southee

New Zealand paceman Tim Southee has got to know Virat Kohli over the years. Apart from being opponents on the field, Southee played under the leadership of Kohli during his stint with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Southee and Kohli have been battling on the field since their Under-19 days, when India led by Kohli defeated a New Zealand side with Tim Southee as the bowling spearhead in the semi-finals of the 2008 ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup.

“I am sure it’s a weight off his shoulders, and the person that he is, he will be contributing in some leadership form or another throughout the rest of his playing days. I am sure it will be great for the new captain of RCB, and Rohit Sharma and Team India, to have someone like Virat to turn to and have a shoulder to lean on out of the field as well,” Southee was quoted as saying by India Today.

“You see him as a very passionate guy who loves the game and brings energy for the side. Just how much time he puts in the game. I got to know him away from the game as well (at RCB), sitting over a coffee, drink or dinner and talk and find out about his interests," he added.

Kohli resigned as the captain of the RCB at the end of the IPL 2021 season but was retained by his franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction.

“I don’t know what it was like to captain India and the pressures that come with it. Not only that, but IPL as well. He's done it over a period of time. It will be interesting from a fan point of view to see him put all his energies on captaincy and channel them into his batting and fielding,” Southee said on the sidelines of an event to mark Amazon Prime Video becoming the new streaming destination of New Zealand cricket in India.

Kohli hasn’t been in the best of form with the bat over the last 2 years. Kohli last hit a hundred in 2019. Team India Test captain will be next seen in action in the three Test series against South Africa, beginning in Centurion on Sunday (December 26).

Session 1
Done pic.twitter.com/JKwLhoaPeZ — Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) December 18, 2021

“I guess it happens when you bat the way Virat bats and score the volume of runs he gets, you have set such high standards. Then, for some games or however long he has not been as amazing as we are used to seeing,” Southee said on Kohli’s form.

Southee on Monday (December 20) revealed that sharing field with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag was special.

“I started off by sharing the field with the likes of Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman and Sehwag. Although I didn’t manage a lot of success against them but bowling to my cricketing heroes at the start of my career was always special,” Southee revealed during a virtual media conference on Monday.