Jayasuriya, who re-defined batting in limited-overs cricket with his explosive approach, felt that Kohli will gradually mature into a better cricketer and leader. For that to happen, the Indian cricket fans need to remain patient with him and give him space to express his ideas on the field.
Former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya has said that India Test captain Virat Kohli should be given a "fair time" to settle down as leader of the team during the transition phase that it is going through with a lot of youngsters.
Jayasuriya, who re-defined batting in limited-overs cricket with his explosive approach, felt that Kohli will gradually mature into a better cricketer and leader. For that to happen, the Indian cricket fans need to remain patient with him and give him space to express his ideas on the field.
"He has just started as captain and needs more time to spend with players. He will learn new things everyday and I am sure he will become more mature as a captain. But for that to happen, you need to give him time to settle down. Whatever has been seen of him till now, he has good leadership skills," Jayasuriya said here on Tuesday.
The 46-year-old former opener, who was in the capital to launch the second edition of the STAIRS School Football League (SSFL), also backed Kohli's approach of being aggressive and taking risks.
"You start taking risks when you become more mature. It's important to take your chances, sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't. There are a lot of things that one can talk about, but only after getting experience," said Jayasuriya, who scored 6,973 runs in 110 Tests and 13,430 in 445 ODIs.
About the ongoing three-match Test series between India and Sri Lanka, where both teams are tied at one-all, Jayasuriya praised spinners R. Ashwin and Amit Mishra for spinning a web around the Lankan batsmen.
"Sri Lankan batsmen are struggling more against spin than the Indians. We think we are good at spin but we are not. Ashwin and Mishra bowled well in tandem. Ashwin, especially, is developing into a good bowler. It's the record that speaks for him. He knows his strengths and bowls to his field and is more consistent. He also bowled in the right areas," he said.
Jayasuriya also paid rich tribute to his former teammate Kumar Sangakkara. "You can't replace people like Kumar Sangakkara, or for that matter Mahela Jayawardene. No one can replace Sanga for what he has done to Lankan cricket. It takes time to play cricket without the great players who have retired. But when people retire, we have got to keep faith in youngsters. At present we have Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal. You have got to keep patience with them and they will deliver," said Jayasuriya.
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