This ex-Aussie cricketer feels Virat Kohli was 'little over the top in SA'

Virat KohliVirat Kohlis aggression was a little over the top in the recent tour of South Africa but it is all a part of his development as a charismatic India captain feels former Australia skipper Steve Waugh India enjoyed decent success in the 58day tour during which the side lost the Test series 12 but clinched the ODI and Twenty20 series 51 and 21 respectively Kohlis stellar performance with the bat was among the biggest positives to be drawn from the gruelling sojournI have seen him in South Africa and I feel that he was little over the top But thats a learning thing for a captain Waugh told PTI in an interview on the sidelines of the Laureus World Sports Awards here Waugh said Kohli needs to strike a balance given that not all players in his team are as expressive as he is As a captain he Kohli is still developing and needs some time to pull in his excitement factor and emotions but thats the way he plays he saidI think he just needs to get a bit aware that everyone in the side cant play in that fashion Someone like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara are very calm and quiet guys so he needs to just understand that some players are different Waugh addedAt times he probably needs to tone his aggression down and at times he needs to lift it so he needs to work it out whats right The Australian great however insisted that he has immense respect for Kohli the player He Kohli is leading very well right now He has that charisma and that Xfactor and so he wants all the rest of the team to follow him He wants the team to play positively all the time and win as quickly as he can observed Waugh who is here as a Laureus Academy memberThey have got a very good win record in the last couple of years in all forms of the game Virat has high aspirations from his team He wants to be no1 across all formats which is difficult to do these days Kohli and India have now set their sights on conquering England and Australia Indias upcoming two big Test challenges later this year India will play a fiveTest series in England in August and September and are due to tour Australia for four Tests in the summer of 201819But Waugh feels it would be easier said than done and Kohli would be key to Indias success in Australia Australia will be favourites in Australia because we have got such a great record just like India in India Virat Kohli would obviously be the key in Australia He played amazing in Australia last time he said India are a very confident young side and they are playing with great confidence and passion that their captain believes in They believe they can win in Australia no doubtHe however said India will have decent chance as the pitches in Australia will be more familiar to them this time around To be fair the pitches will suit India more than the past because the pitches are very benign at the moment Waugh said So they will definitely suit the Indian batsmen and the spinners will come into action more So I think it would be a very competitive series Despite the Test series loss in South Africa India have managed to retain the ICC Test Championship mace for the second consecutive year but Waugh feels there isnt much difference between the top three sides India South Africa and AustraliaThey are a very competitive side they cover all positions well So I think India South Africa and Australia are right now three sides who are very similar in quality and they will fight it out for the No1 position in the next couple of years he said Talking about Kohliiquests predecessor M S Dhoni Waugh said the inspirational wicketkeeperbatsman is looking good enough to carry on till at least next years World CupHe Dhoni is still a great player but he needs to have that energy and that spark which right now he does have But 12 months is still long long away He is definitely good enough but sometimes when you get a bit older you dont prepare as well as you have done before but right now it looks like he is doing that He is keen he is a great leader and he is a winner Waugh signed offCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go