Indian team are already in England to complete the fifth and last Test match, which could not be played in 2021 due to few Indian players testing positive for Covid-19.
A lot has changed in one year’s time with Virat Kohli stepping down as Test captain after he was axed as One Day International (ODI) captain. Rohit Sharma was appointed the captain and KL Rahul his deputy. Now with Rohit Sharma testing positive and Rahul too unavailable due to injury for the last Test at Birmingham, who will captain team India in the decider?
The X factor
There have been talks that Jasprit Bumrah might be handed over the captaincy, while some say it might be Rishabh Pant. Both players are vital cog to the Indian team and are the X factors if the visitors have to win the game. Why would you put them in a spot to lead India in a Test, which can decide the outcome of the series?
England have been playing a different brand of cricket this summer under new captain Ben Stokes and the recently appointed coach Brendon McCullum, which is fearless cricket — similar to what they played under Eoin Morgan in the ODI to win the World Cup in 2019. The fear of losing is not there and they are taking the attack to the opposition and New Zealand just could not cope up with this new approach. England have already won the Test series and completed a clean sweep after winning the final Test by a seven-wicket margin.
Unmatched and unparalleled
So who is the best man to take the rampaging team England on their home turf? You don’t have to look anywhere when u have Kohli in the team, whose aggressive approach is unmatched and unparalleled. He is the one who changed the way India played Test cricket and won 40 Tests with his aggressive style of captaincy. His style had rubbed on his teammates and India always played to win and never feared of losing.
But will Kohli agree to lead the side after stepping down? That’s the big question as he is still hurting after he was removed has ODI captain, which led him to step down as Test captain after the South Africa series. But this is the best opportunity for the selectors and Kohli to have a direct conversation and bury the hatchet. Time heals all wounds and who knows Kohli might agree and lead the team.
Irrespective of the outcome of this all important Test, if Indian selectors and Kohli can mend the fence and keep team India forward, it would be a win-win situation for a nation, which eats, sleeps and breathes cricket.
