Captaining India in all forms of cricket could affect Virat Kohli’s batting. Though the Test captaincy has not affected his batting, the pressure of leading in all forms of the game will surely be an additional burden on him. The question is that when Kohli is the most dependable batsman in the team, should an additional task too be bestowed on him?
Already expectations from fans for Kohli to deliver as a batsman are very high; it’s almost equivalent to Sachin Tendulkar. So it’s not going to be easy for him to thrive as a successful captain as well in all forms of the game. Whether Kohli will be able to separate captaincy from batting is still too early to comment, and only time will have the answer. Almost every former cricketer has admitted that the toughest job in India is captaining the Indian team.
Take the history of Indian cricket in recent years. When Sourav Ganguly and Dhoni were captains, they were not the best batsman of the team and hence they could focus on getting the best out of their players. In the case of Kohli, he will have to deliver in every match. A failure in either as a batsman or captain could affect him given that he is not ‘Captain Cool’ like Dhoni who could control his emotions and aggressiveness both on and off the field. Kohli, when appointed captain, announced that he would try not to mix captaincy and batting. But leading the team in One-day and Twenty20 demands constant thinking on one’s feet, and that is not always easy.
Of course there is Steven Smith for whom captaincy has helped him thrive as a batsman too. But the pressures of being an Australia team captain are different from that of a subcontinent team. In Kohli’s case it is a gamble that the Indian selectors are taking. It should be noted that Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid delivered better after they gave up the captaincy. Even Ganguly performed better after his captaincy days. Captaincy requires skills to get the best out of others, but what India needs is to get the best out of Kohli as a batsman.
No, A.K.S. Satish, Senior Pages Editor:
Virat Kohli has strong shoulders and the mind to take on the extra responsibility as the captain of the shorter formats. On the contrary his performance could become better just the way he has done in Tests. Kohli is a kind of a player who brings out his best under testing conditions.
Kohli’s performance graph has been showing a steady upward curve from being a player to vice-captain and as captain in Tests.
In the past, captaincy has been a burden and numerous players have burnt their fingers sitting on the hot seat and consequently their batting has suffered. Even some of India’s greatest batsmen like Mohammad Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid have seen their form dip drastically as captain.
However, it is not a new role for Kohli as he has led India in the shorter formats in Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s absence. As a matter of fact, captaincy and the pressures to handle it has changed immensely since Dhoni has taken over at the helm.
There is a huge shift in the team ethos and the dressing room wears a different look today. Kohli mentioned in an interview during the England series that “each one is backing the other player in the Indian team.”
And it was evident when captain Kohli was cheering rookie Karun Nair all the way to the triple century against England and delaying the decision to declare the innings in Chennai.
The star batsman also must have learnt a few tricks after watching Captain Cool Dhoni function under pressure, who will also be present as a player to give his inputs.
When Dhoni retired from Tests midway during India’s tour of Australia in 2014-15 series, Kohli was given the charge at short notice. But his readiness to the challenge was visible when he scored 147 in the first innings in Sydney.
Kohli is one who wears his heart on his sleeve but the aggressive show acts have reduced since he took charge. Funnily enough, he acted as a mediator to separate Ravichandran Ashwin and James Anderson, which shows he is maturing as a player and as a captain.
Kohli, just like any batsman, might suffer an odd bit of bad form — but form is temporary and class is permanent. Kohli has the class to carry on in the journey to the summit.
