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Label: India,
Virat Kohli
Posted on: January 18, 2022
It has been a little over 24 hours since Virat Kohli shocked the entire cricket fraternity by announcing his decision to step down as Test captain of the Indian cricket team. Still, the reactions from past and present cricketers have been pouring in, both congratulating him on a successful tenure and expressing their surprise at the lightning bolt from the blue they received on a fine Saturday night. Why not, we’re talking about one of the best captains of all time.
40 wins in 68 Tests (mostly Indians), most runs as Indian captains, most doubles as captains (world record), most hundreds as captains (world records) records), the list goes on. While these statistics do tell the story of India’s success and Virat’s own rich form, they don’t say anything about his impact on Indian cricket. India was seventh in the ICC Test rankings when he took over from MS Dhoni. And now, they have been No. 1 for 4 to 5 years in a row.
Under his helm, almost all Indian players have developed a “give it back” attitude. Just like what you’d expect from a Derry! Now, India is no longer the party to be frightened, but the one that can intimidate others in the opposition’s own lair. It all started with his first Test as captain in 2014, when he nearly completed a major heist with 141 counter-knocks on a spinning fifth day circuit in Adelaide. It was only then that he made it clear that he would rather risk losing a Test to win the game than try to save the draw. India’s success abroad took off under his leadership. With multiple Test wins in Australia, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, India is now expected to win any competition overseas, something no one of his predecessors could have expected.
Perhaps one of the biggest takeaways from Kohli’s tenure has been an uptick in Indian fast bowling. His enthusiasm for rebounding the opposition has also affected his bowlers. The revival of Ishant and Shami, the rise and rise of Bumrah and Siraj, all happened under his guidance. Now, whenever India tours, the opposition is suspected of throwing spicy tracks under the threat of being beaten by their Indian counterparts.
So, with so much success and age, it’s strange to see him resign. While all we can do is sit back and speculate as to why, there’s no denying that his dismissal as ODI captain may have played a role. The past few months have been tumultuous for him, and his friction with the BCCI has been the talk of the town. All we can hope for is that he is in much better spirits now after the load has been lifted and we can see Kohli 2.0, the best hitter in the world.
–Jatin Shad
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