Not going to call Kohli great till he succeeds in England: Michael Holding

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West Indies great Michael Holding is not going to comfortably call Virat Kohli great till the time the Indian batsman doesn't score big runs in England.

Kohli played five Tests in England in 2014 but failed to negotiate with the swinging conditions there. His scores of 20, 6, 7, 0, 28, 39, 0, 25, 8 and 1 on that tour reveal the magnitude of his failure. James Anderson, in particular, had his number. 

Kohli has come a long way since and is considered one of the greatest batsmen the world has ever seen but Holding is not jumping the gun.

"Virat Kohli is a fantastic batsman. I was asked to name three top cricketers and I included Kohli in that list [Joe Root and Steve Smith being the other two]. He is a very very good player.

"When I see him score runs in England, I would call him a great player. I like people who score runs everywhere. He is an extremely good player," Holding told Mumbai Mirror.

Holding, who sent chills down batsmen's spine with tear-away deliveries in his cricketing days, also didn't seem too impressed with Kohli's captaincy.

"As a captain, he has some work to do. I don't want to condemn him too much because I like to have my own way as captain. I like to be given the team I want all the time. But it is still not the right way to go. You have to have discussions with the wiser heads from time to time, come to conclusions and flesh out different arguments. I get an impression that he is getting what he wants.

"He is very emotional about his cricket. He means everything he wants to do. In time he will learn. Because he has been so successful since he took over, it is hard for him to change. He has to see other viewpoints and arrive at consensus," Holding added.

Kohli and his men are currently under fire following losing back-to-back Tests in South Africa. The Indian captain has also drawn the wrath of many for chopping and changing too much ahead of important matches.