One of the several reasons for the success of Sourav Ganguly, as a captain, was the belief he had in his players and the lengths he went to back them, signs of which Virat Kohli has showed. The way KL Rahul hugged the captain after completing his maiden Test hundred on day 3 was indicative of the role Kohli had played in backing the youngster. Rahul’s debut at the MCG ended in a horror and the self-doubt was evident in his demeanour in the field. However, rather than making his worst nightmare come true, the captain kept faith and gave Rahul the opener’s slot.
Virat Kohli: A great leader in the making
Much against Rahul’s wishes, the start to his second Test match was horrific too as he dropped a catch and had a torrid time in the field. To make it worse, when he came out to bat, Murali Vijay, one of India’s best batsmen on tour, played an uncharacteristic push to hand Brad Haddin a sitter in the first over of the innings. It was a recipe made in hell and Rahul would have been the top contender for a nervous breakdown.
However, this is when he decided to put it down and repay the trust of his captain. Rahul produced one of the best maiden Test hundreds in recent times and when he reached the milestone; his captain was standing at the other end to embrace him. It was a great moment for any Indian cricket fan to see their next Test skipper basking in the glory of his faith.
Virat Kohli might have a long way to go before becoming proficient strategically in the longer format of the game but he certainly is going to be a great leader. The way his team, without Cheteshwar Pujara and Shikhar Dhawan, responded to Australia’s mammoth total of 572 is indicative of the belief the Delhi lad has instilled.
Aggressive, instinctive and emotional, Kohli is bringing back the days of Sourav Ganguly in Indian cricket. Just like Ganguly, Kohli will go to any distance to back the players he believes in, be it KL Rahul or Rohit Sharma (whom he really likes). Indian test cricket is in turmoil to say the least and maybe a new leader is what it needs. The biggest advantage Kohli holds over his predecessor is that he, himself, is a top class Test cricketer, which certainly helps to lead by example.
Secondly, Kohli, has played with three generations of cricketers and already has tours of South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia under his belt, which is a huge benefit. And lastly, he has a top class batting line-up with the ability to score runs anywhere. The bowling certainly lacks discipline but there is no dearth of talent, which means that sooner or later the likes of Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will come good. To put things in a nutshell, Indian cricket is in good hands with Virat Kohli at the helm and he is destined to become the greatest cricketer of the 21st century.
Tags: Australia, Cricket, India, Indian Cricket, Sourav Ganguly, Sydney, Test Match, Virat Kohli
