Quote:
Originally Posted by vibbs Just shared on Wisden facebook page - Kohli steps down from Test Captaincy!!
For all his follies, I still think he is the best captain for us. KL Rahul is not even a patch
Source: ESPNcricinfo Facebook page |
Kohli was ear marked to be the player who will break all the batting records (mostly held by one of the GOAT - Sachin). They way he was scoring runs it seemed as if he will shatter every batting record Sachin, Ponting, Lara or the other greats of the game hold (except the Don - I believe this record will stay on till eternity). He was almost machine like in precision and focus. As an individual contributor he was someone who one could idolize just his commitment towards the game. Last few years have been hard for mankind in general and as well proved that he too is a mortal. Captaincy pressures, bio bubbles and failures when it mattered the most has somehow reduced him from the one of the best in business to a mortal who fails. He has shown flashes of his old self intermittently and with the pressure of captaincy gone he will soon be back to doing what he does best - back to being the best in business
He was fast tracked to the most powerful position in world cricket . He was made the captain of the team of the world's most powerful and rich sports body. The single minded pursuit that propelled him towards becoming one of the GOATs of the game is what has stopped him from becoming the best captain India ever had. Ganguly and Dhoni will remain the two best captains India ever had. For me Kohli as a captain is nothing more than mediocre. There were a lot of other captains who I would rate much higher than Kohli inspite of Kohli having the best record as a captain (best in India and comparable with some of the all time best captains in the history of game).
The reason for it is not what all he achieved but rather the legacy he left behind. Ganguly made a team out of a bunch of individual performers and instilled a sense of not giving up at all even when facing the best. Besides he inherited a team in complete shambles and turned things around miraculously. Backed youngsters along with keeping a team full of superstars and still got results as a team. He had a way of getting under the skin of the opponents and beating them at their own game.
Dhoni inherited a team which had belief in its abilities but had lot of aging superstars and bunch of next gen players with a complete different thought process. He was still able to navigate through this period and get the desired results. He would be remembered as one of the best captains of all time not just in India but the world due to his tactical nous. He was mostly able to get the best out of whatever he ever had at his disposal which makes him a better captain than he was a player. He had results to show for all his effort be it ICC tournaments, number one ranking in tests or IPL trophies. Just as a captain he would be up there at the top of the heap along with Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor, Mike Brearley, Clive Lloyd, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Kapil Dev. Ganguly, Stephen Fleming, Kane Williamson, Arjuna Ranatunga etc. A common traits among all these captains are all of these were inspirational, resourceful, empathetic and left a legacy that will define them for the rest of the lives. The teams these greats led always were greater than the sum of individual parts or rather these greats had a way to achieve the same with whatever resources they had.
As far as stats are concerned Kohli too would be sitting right on top along with all these greats. But stats sometimes hide a lot more than they reveal.
Inspirational - Yes - As an individual performer he is so driven and demanding that it almost impossible to match up to him. Sachin was another individual who was similar and the less said about his captaincy the better it is. Sachin doesn't even have the results to show unlike Kohli though. But the problem is similar. Both expect similar levels of performance which the lesser mortals could never match up to. Besides Kohli expects everyone to do what he believes in. Fitness and aggression are few examples. Other than Rohit no one else has been able to succeed like Kohli following his own thing. Though the fitness culture and aggressiveness has helped the team more often than not but (especially unwanted aggressiveness) has failed the team when it was needed most. Failures in matches which mattered the most has mostly been a result of too much aggression, stubbornness, tactical mistakes and last but not the least being not being empathetic to his players when most needed.
Ashwin, Jadeja, Rahane and Pujara are the best examples of players who have not fulfilled their potential. They could never be all that they could have been because of the way team management handled them. Kohli's handling of these players had been pathetic to say the least. Rahane burst into the scene as a player who could soak in all the pressure and perform when needed the most. Some where down the line he was chucked out of the white ball teams, bought back again and then again got thrown out. He has now become someone who neither prospered as a white ball player and is reduced to a mediocre test batsman now. An average of below 40 in tests will be his legacy. Looks to be end of road for him and age isn't on his side. He may still make a comeback, but he still wont be able to achieve what he could have as a batsman.
Pujara was born to be a test batsman and Kohli somewhere confused aggressiveness with quick scoring. Pujara wasn't the same post that. There cannot be a better example of aggressive batting than the 50 odd runs Pujara scored taking all the blows on his body in Australia. Aggressiveness isn't all about slam bang all the time. Not taking a step back in face of hostility is equally aggressive. Ganguly never asked Dravid to bat like Sehwag else we would never have had "The Wall". Pujara is now half the batsman he was when he started and I don't see him finding his mojo back ever. He will be remembered as good test batsman. He had all the talent to be "Wall 2". Potential unfulfilled. As a white ball cricketer he always was a non starter but had the potential to one of top batsman in test cricket. Somewhere down the line the team management clouded his thought process so much that he became what he looks now a days on the pitch - a completely confused batsman.
Ashwin - He could have been the next great bowler at the top of heap along with Warne and Murali. Kohli's handling of one of his premier spin bowler be it in red ball or white ball cricket is downright heart breaking. This guy has all the skills and tools to reach 1000 international wickets but shame that he wont achieve half of what he could have. He would have missed more than 25% of total test matches and most matches abroad where only one spinner was used even though he was fit. He was dropped from white ball cricket in favor of wrist spinners. I would not have questioned this if we had something to show for in white ball cricket. All wrist spinners too are now out of favor, not a single piece of silverware with any of the teams he captained. The best that we had never played enough to become a great that he could have had just because of our captain's stubbornness. Look at his record in tests with whatever opportunities he had. He would mostly have overtaken Warne had he got all the opportunities abroad and would have been number 1 bowler as far as total number of international wickets are concerned had he not been chucked out of the white ball teams. He is still at the top of his game and I hope the new management treats him better and he can still achieve enough to be counted as a great.
Jadeja is another one who was meted a similar treatment but has been able to improve enough to be always in the mix. His skill set including being among the best fielders in the game is what has held him in good stead all through his international career. He too has missed quite some white ball cricket but at least in his case his exclusion helped him become the best that he could be. He mostly will end up as someone who achieved more than the sum of all his skills put together. For Jadeja it was his mental strength which helped him sail through the rough times.
Resourceful - Even with the best individuals he would find a way to lose when it mattered most. Most of the losses abroad in tests has been due to incorrect team selections or tactical mistakes. For someone who is mentally so strong not even winning a single piece of silverware in any form of white ball cricket is surprising. He has been unlucky as far as tosses are concerned but a lot of time it has been his stubbornness and not being receptive to accommodate changes even after failing are reason behind continuous failures to win something worth while.
Empathetic - Somehow he has not been able to strike the right balance. He has backed players who have gone on to do well and similarly has not been able to get the best out of quite many to name. The way he handled media has been downright dimwit. Ambati Rayudu being left in lurch is one fine example. Kuldeep and Chahal from being touted as the next superstars or his handling of Gabbar. Along with the 4 I already mentioned earlier Kohli's handling of individuals in some cases has really had a very negative effect on some of these players along with overall team culture. His relationship with Rohit who is another player in the same league as him is well documented. I believe that Kohli always had the best interests of Indian cricket in his heart and mind but is one of those greats who was never meant to be leader of men. He is brash, impulsive and still has a long way to go mature as a leader. I don't think he ever will be one. Remember he had Dhoni to guide him for quite a good part of his leadership tenure. At least in white ball cricket some of the achievements he had as a captain can be attributed to the support from Dhoni and Rohit.
Legacy - His legacy as a captain would be the culture of nurturing fast bowlers. At least he has given us a template as to how we can win on foreign soil in red ball cricket. Commitment towards fitness and the fighting spirit (single minded focus and belief to go for a win) that he brings on to the ground is equivalent of Nadal's bull headedness. Can't really think of another apt example. But he leaves behind a team which has one of the best bowling attacks (both skill and result wise) and group of supremely talented batsman playing at less than 50% of their capability. Somewhere he had a role to play where his most experienced lieutenants are pale shadows of their own old self and full of self doubts. The next generation though ear marked for greatness are just starting and we don't know how they would fare. Rohit would most probably take over but age not being on his side he may lead the team for couple of years in white ball cricket and may be 3-4 years in red ball cricket. Rohit somehow has found a second life in his test career and keen to prove his detractors that he is one of those who will fall short of greatness in red ball not because of lack of talent, temperament or skills but for things sometimes beyond his control.
Kohli inherited a team full of supremely talented individuals who just needed that little push to work together to become world beaters. The team proved it time and again but failed when it mattered all the times. He leaves behind a team who know how to beat and win anywhere but have picked up some traits which doesn't make a great team - Aggressiveness not through action but words, being cry babies when things are not going your way, not taking collective responsibility when chips are down ( we always have a scape goat when chips are down). A man with so much of commitment, focus and talent - but falling short of being a idol. His legacy as a great of the game will strengthen with time is what I expect. He will up his game by a couple of notches for sure and will again become the best for next 3-4 years. But his legacy as idol is questionable. How he supports the new captain as a player who has been an ex-captain and whether he chooses to become someone who kids can idolize will define his legacy as a great of the game when he hangs his bat in future.
I wish him all the best and hope that he achieves all that he can as the best in the world. But he will never be a great captain for me. He can though become a great leader of men if he chooses to in the next few years.