'Indian captain should not behave like a monkey on the field'

Bengaluru, June 26: Describing MS Dhoni as the "most ideal captain", former India wicketkeeper-batsman Syed Kirmani has called for future India skippers to follow him and not behave like "monkeys" on the field which is against the gentleman's game.

'People questioning Dhoni are petty-minded'

Kirmani, the 1983 World Cup winner, was critical of the on-field behaviour of some of the players and captains in the modern era.

When queried whether it is good for India's new Test captain Virat Kohli to be very aggressive on the field, Kirmani said no.

According to him, captain is the ambassador of the country and he should behave in a dignified manner which Dhoni has always been. He wanted future Indian leaders to follow in Dhoni's footsteps.

"Captain should be extremely dignified. He is the ambassador of the country. It is the sign of a gentleman, which Dhoni is. You should not behave like monkeys on the field. After taking a catch or wicket, it is not right to jump, shout and behave aggressively. Those celebrations are best seen in football. It is not good for cricket, which is a gentleman's game. Cricket should not turn into football where we see players taking off their jerseys," Kirmani said in an exclusive chat with OneIndia.

The former stumper said players tend to over react on the field due to the presence of several TV cameras.

"Maybe they do all this (over-the-top celebrations) because they know all cameras are focused on them. Such exaggerated mannerisms do not reflect the gentleman's game," he added.

According to Kirmani, Dhoni is the "most ideal captain" India has seen after the "genius" Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.

"Dhoni is the most ideal captain I have seen after the late Nawab of Pataudi, who was a genius. It was unfortunate that I could not play under him," he said.

OneIndia News