“I just wanted to be the best player to have played for India, but, the country wanted me to be a role model - a burden and weight I found difficult to carry”. Imagined sign off words when Kohli finally hangs his boots…
Any stakeholder/shareholder/ board member while making investment decisions would look for a leader with pedigree, passion and loads of professional integrity. While selecting a leader is key, honing, sharpening, supporting the leader, especially when the results are not in the leader’s favour is as crucial.
Our selectors/ BCCI chose well but when it came to nurturing, supporting, they backed out.
For a long period, India had a leader having all the right attributes - Virat Kohli. But the way he has been dealt with by the powers that be when going through a low (by his standards, not that of his peers) is appalling and shocking.
Every way you measure Virat the captain, the numbers are staggering. As test captain, with 40 wins out of 68 matches, he has a win loss ratio of 2.3; our bowlers averaged JUST 25.02 , against 34.3 in Dravid, 34.07 in Ganguly, 35.36 in MSD, 32.54 in Azhar and 36.2 in SRT’s captaincy during his test captaincy. Clearly, over a long period of time, his bowling unit has performed significantly better via-a-vis all other captains.
The most amazing statistic is that as test captain, he averaged an astounding 54.80 with the bat. Significantly better than legends like Lloyd, Ponting, Border and Graeme Smith.
Of the 213 matches he captained across formats, we won 135 matches, a win/loss ratio of 2.25.
And, he is behind only to the peerless Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting in terms of the total number of centuries scored…
But, what gets spoken about Kohli? His on field contretemps, his no holds barred aggression, his unwillingness to back off from a fight, his unnecessary comments on technology, his choicest expletives.
Unfortunately when this takes centre stage, we lose the player and the passion associated with.
Kohli succeeded the way he did because he was unconventional. Because he thought chasing down 320 in 40 overs was possible against the then best limited overs bowler Malinga, because he thought Australia could be defeated at home, because he thought that we could have a pace arsenal that could help fight fire with fire, because he thought opposition had to be pummelled into submission, because he thought the only way to win abroad was by taking 20 wickets in each match.
Interestingly, it worked, for quite a long period.
Is it possible that with the change at the BCCI, a more conventional leadership - Dravid, VVS, Ganguly - the old guard felt that we wanted role models first and winners next?
It is only a conjecture but keeping Rahane, Pujara in the team so long after they were past their prime betrays this.
Sacking the ODI captain with no prior notice reflects this.
And, who is paying the price?
Indian cricket..
A series which should have been 3-0 in our favour was lost 1-2 solely because of the off field shenanigans.
Resulting in an emotional tsunami leaving the team with no clear successor.
Yes, Virat has a vacuum with respect to ICC trophies and has personality flaws.
But so is Kohinoor, India’s most precious diamond. And, that does not diminish its value or its place in history.
#ViratKohli #BCCI
