Virat Kohli "a good captain" insists Daniel Vettori despite Royal Challengers failure

The former coach defends the India skipper after RCB finish bottom of the IPL table having lost eight of their 14 matches

Virat Kohli has not become a bad captain overnight despite leading Royal Challengers Bangalore to a bottom-place finish in this year's Indian Premier League, according to Daniel Vettori.

After losing their opening six matches, RCB were consigned to an eighth-place finish in the 2019 edition of the franchise tournament.

Despite a revival during the second-half of the season during which they won four times and Kohli's own record which saw him score 464 runs, questions have been asked over his ability as a leader.

But former New Zealand spinner Vettori, the RCB head coach between 2014 and 2018 and a player for two years previous to that, has jumped to the defence of the India skipper.

"When I used to speak to him or any other coaches [used to] speak to him, there is always a conversation around what you think is best, where can this work," he told ESPN Cricinfo.

"It wouldn't always be a numbers-driven conversation, it would be around some intuition and understanding of the game. 

"I think, ultimately, when you sold a compelling story to Virat, he was always on board, open to listen and that made him such a good captain.

He added: "Everyone wants to follow his gym [routine], and everything he does off the field, the way he basically prepares to play the game. That's a huge part of leadership. That's a huge part of captaincy."

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