Thursday, February 23, 2017

Is Kohli already India’s Captain Marvel?

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.

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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.



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