Virat Kohli As Captain in All Three Formats: Will India's Selectors Take a Bold Step?
With India facing a grueling schedule, it might not be a bad idea for Virat Kohli to take over the reins of Indian cricket in all three formats ahead of a vital series against South Africa.
There is a sense of stability and success in Indian cricket currently. The team broke their overseas jinx and registered a series win in Sri Lanka after a gap of 22 years under the aggressive captaincy of Virat Kohli. Following the success, the BCCI have extended the services of Ravi Shastri as Indian Team Director until the ICC World Twenty20 in 2016. It has also extended the tenure of assistant bowling coach, Bharat Arun, assistant batting coach Sanjay Bangar and assistant fielding coach Ramakrishna Sridhar. (Ravi Shastri Says He Will Be 'First Person' To Tell Ishant Sharma to be Aggressive)
The BCCI have noticed that in the Kohli-Shastri partnership, the team is moving in the right direction. Kohli's pro-activeness combined with Shastri's aggressive and forthright clarity on team spirit has reaped rich benefits. When one looks at the signs during the recent Sri Lanka series, the Kohli-Shastri blueprint of aggression India-style might not be ignored by the selectors. In his first interview since being retained as Indian Team director, Shastri emphasised the need for sustained brilliance. (Ravi Shastri's Term As Team Director Extended Until ICC World Twenty20 in 2016)
"We have to play consistent cricket for long periods of time to put them under pressure. That will be the endeavour. Our style of play will not change. If you reflect on our performances in Australia and Sri Lanka, you will see that consistency was the difference between defeat and victory. not letting the opposition off the hook after having them under pressure - demands a lot of patience. We weren't patient enough both in Australia and during the first Test in Sri Lanka. Once the patience and discipline came, in the next two Tests, we saw the results," Shastri told bcci.tv. (Is Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri Partnership Making India Ill-Behaved?)
The Indian selectors will be hearing Shastri's words with intent. With the Kohli-Shastri duo on the march upwards, will the BCCI take a huge step and appoint Kohli as the captain in all three formats for the upcoming series against South Africa? If they do so, then it will come at a vital juncture for a team in what will be a packed schedule.
India's series against South Africa, the No. 1 Test team in the world, will include three T20Is, five ODIs and four Tests over 72 days. The fact that South Africa have not lost a series away for nine years makes this a vital series. Following the conclusion of this series, India will travel to Australia for an ODI series before capping it off with the ICC World Twenty20 at home.
When one compares Kohli's fortunes with that of MS Dhoni in the past couple of months, there is a stark contrast. Dhoni looked jaded in the ODI series against Bangladesh which they lost 1-2. Although he had a good World Cup where he averaged 59.25 and in the Bangladesh series where his average was over 40, there was something amiss with Dhoni.
The call to appoint Kohli as skipper gains weight by the words of former South African cricketer, Jacques Kallis. In a recent interview with the Indian Express, he said that Kohli has the ability to lead India in all three formats.
"He will have to start somewhere, and take over from MS (Dhoni). Only time will tell whether this move will work or backfire, but he comes across as a player who thrives under pressure. So Virat is the right choice, and he must give it a go. Virat is a very strong batsman, and knows how to tackle pressure. I think he is ready to handle every situation," Kallis said.
The fact that Kallis has endorsed Kohli, with whom he has played at Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, is a signal of his belief in Kohli. Whether the selectors show this belief remains to be seen.
India have not defeated South Africa in a Test series since 2004. With an important ICC tournament coming up in six months, the preparation for India begins now. In his short tenure, Kohli has shown that he can deliver the goods. Is it time for the Kohli-era in Indian cricket? One might not be surprised if it happens in the next couple of weeks.