Virat Kohli left the building. India’s most vocal captain on and off the pitch has quit as Test leader via social media. A day earlier, Kohli spoke to the media after India’s loss to South Africa in the Cape Town test gave the home side the 2-1 series but did not let go. to hear that he would retire. There was no intimation from the India Cricket Control Board, not so much as a tweet or a press release. When he thought the time was right, Kohli called him.
In his time as Test captain, Kohli led India in 68 Tests, winning 40 and losing just 17. Statistically, he is India’s most successful captain. On a global scale, too, it stands tall. Only the South African Graeme Smith (53 wins) and the Australians Ricky Ponting (48) and Steve Waugh (41) have a better record as skipper.
Kohli has built a legacy that will likely live long after him. This is an Indian team that can and will win abroad, in all conditions. When he took over as captain, Kohli had a vision of a team capable of winning in Australia and England. He achieved both by building a fast bowling infrastructure which was previously absent from Indian cricket.
Kohli didn’t settle for one or two fast bowlers. He demanded that he have half a dozen at his disposal at all times, each of which could win him games. This school of thought needed the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore to work with the India A team advised by the Indian team coaching staff to work together.
For that to happen was something of a miracle, but it was non-negotiable for Kohli. Once he had the resources, he deployed them. Even when it wasn’t the most prudent move, at times when it could have cost India dearly, Kohli bowled against five specialist bowlers.
This allowed the bowlers in this group to grow individually and as a pack that hunted together. But it also meant that Indian drummers were perpetually savvy. The higher order had to score or there would be hell to pay.
What effect this has had on Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, whose careers seem to be in terminal decline, only time will tell. For now Kohli the drummer comes to the fore.
Even street kids in India know it has been two years and 15 tests since Kohli last scored a hundred test. Kohli scored 136 against Bangladesh in a pink ball test in Kolkata but was unable to maintain the high standards he set for himself.
To add to the intrigue, Kohli announced last September that he would be giving up the captaincy of the Twenty20 International team, also via social media, to allow himself some much-needed mental space. When he did, Kohli said he was looking forward to leading the Indian team to the 2023 World Cup at 50 on home soil.
In December last year, India coaches opted to unify the white ball captaincy, which meant relieving Kohli of the 50-plus-year leadership and handing it to Rohit Sharma. If he didn’t see the writing on the wall then the most powerful man in Indian cricket, and by extension in world cricket, seemed to have finally gotten the memo after India’s 2-1 loss to South Africa.
“It has been seven years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance every day to take the team in the right direction,” Kohli said in his retirement statement. “I did the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out. Everything has to end at some point and for me as India’s test captain, it’s now.
“There were a lot of ups and also downs along the journey, but there was never a lack of effort or a lack of belief,” he added. “I’ve always believed in giving my 120% in everything I do and if I can’t do it, I know it’s not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team.
At 34, Sharma isn’t the obvious choice as the heir to Kohli’s legacy, but that’s just as well being his own man. A batsman of excellence in his own right, Sharma now has the coat he was probably best suited to years ago. He is an outstanding men’s leader, as five Indian Premier League titles demonstrate, but even when called upon to replace India he was creative and efficient.
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What this means for Kohli is less clear. Throughout his career, he has been the alpha, the best dog, the one who leads the team. It will be a challenge for him to adapt to the life of a simple player, a batsman among many others, even if he is special.
Once again in his cricketing life, Kohli will have to follow someone else’s instructions. How he handles this will define his legacy, as much as his wins and losses as team captain.
