When Virat Kohli led India clinched an expected test win
over Bangladesh earlier this month, Kohli became India’s most successful Indian
test captain ever after 23 tests. A feat that should certainly make him proud
about himself and his team. And given the way he has led his team he will
surely win 13 more matches in the years to come, making him the most successful
Indian test skipper ever, overtaking MS Dhoni’s tally of 27 wins as the test skipper.
But is Kohli already India’s best captain ever?
The team’s recent
records certainly suggest so and if we take into account how his batting has
blossomed further ever since he has been the skipper, it easily makes him
India’s most emphatic captain ever. Though, I feel it’s way too early to do the
coronation yet. Not until, he leads the team on tours to England, South Africa,
Australia and New Zealand at least once. As that might remarkably alter his
prolific CV as a skipper, till then he is doing what every test captain should
do, making the most of a long home test season. So who are the erstwhile
skippers that feature in the elite all-time best captain list. Though, we have
had a bevy of greats leading the team over the years where the likes of
Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Dravid and Kumble have led the side valiantly but my
all-time favorite skipper list features Azhar, Dada and MSD.
Azhar, as it was under him that we became a very potent side
and a force to reckon with in home conditions. His numbers as the skipper are a
testimony to that, no wonder he held the record for being the most successful
Indian skipper for a long time. So much so that it took a man of Dada’s caliber
and indomitable style to eclipse his captaincy record and become India’s then
most successful skipper across all formats. Though, it wasn’t just the no. of
wins and big trophies that we won under him, that made him stand out, it was
his remarkable aggressive style that instilled confidence in not only his
players but also in all the fans cheering for Team India. He almost single handedly
changed the way Indian cricket was perceived worldwide. But few years later
came a man who changed the landscape of Indian Cricket forever, M S Dhoni. And after
leading the side for almost 10 years when he signed off his captaincy stint
earlier this year, he not only had all the nos and the big trophies in his
cabinet but most importantly, also had the respect of all his opponents. He was
neither as stylish as Azhar nor as aggressive as Dada or may be as conventional
as Dravid or Kumble but his street smartness and calmness were his weapons that
made his rivals fear him the most.
So Dhoni marginally pips Dada as my all-time favorite
captain, primarily for his longevity and enigmatic calmness. Being the skipper
of the side for almost 10 years without an inkling of controversy or a stain on
his conduct and character does speak volumes about the impact he has had on
Indian Cricket. There have been question marks on him being too defensive in
his test captaincy during the later stages of his captaincy tenure but I believe
with the dearth of good bowling options (neither Ashwin nor Jadeja were at
their prime then) and with a legacy to protect, you are bound to focus on not
losing then pressing on for a risky win proposition. But if you consider his
captaincy across formats over the years, there won’t be many who can challenge
him for being India’s captain marvel neither statistically nor tactically.
So, can Kohli the captain go past Dhoni the Captain Marvel? One.
It’s too early to pass that judgement, at least not until he has toured all the
major test playing nations once. Two. He will have to win at least one
T20 World Cup, one ODI world cup and one Champions Trophy amongst other things
to be reckoned in the same league. Three. He will have to keep scoring
runs the way he his scoring now (which is humanly impossible) and the likes of
Jadeja & Ashwin will have to keep taking wickets even outside India (which
again is improbable). Why so, because Dhoni didn’t have to perform as a batsman
or a bowler all the time as he had the luxury of having the likes of Tendulkar,
Sehwag, Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly, Kohli, Zaheer, Kumble, Harbhajan et al for rescue
on most occasions. Kohli’s team on the other hand has been piling on wins
mostly on accounts of either Kohli scoring runs or Ashwin/Jadeja taking wickets
in heap (not to discount the performances of other good players in the team),
but what if both these match winning super power go through a lean patch in
tandem? And lastly, Four. Find a perfect balance in being calm and also being aggressive
in leading the side, at the same time. Dhoni had this natural ability to stay
calm in the most unreal situations too akin to Kohli’s natural tendency of
being aggressive. Though, Kohli has shown remarkable maturity in the last 18
months to channel his emotions and aggression in the right direction but it won’t
be easy for him to curb his natural instinct and strength (aggression) and don
an aura of calmness for the larger good of the team. Statistically, he might
eclipse all the previous records set by any Indian captain but his real test
would be to match and go beyond the legacy left behind by the likes of Dada and
Dhoni.
But if there is anyone who can be India’s Captain Marvel for
years to come, it’s unanimously Virat Kohli.
--
kin…
Post Script – Personally, I feel Kohli’s India will do well overseas
too, but for that to happen consistently Kohli can’t afford to just have himself and Ashwin as his only match winners.
