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Virat Kohli dropped a bombshell on Saturday when he announced his decision to step down as Test captain. The move came just a day after India went down to South Africa in the Cape Town Test by seven wickets, thus conceding the series 1-2. The defeat was the team’s second successive Test series loss in South Africa under Kohli's captaincy.
Ahead of the series, several critics had claimed this was India’s best chance to win their maiden Test series in South Africa, given the inexperience in the hosts’ camp. Despite clinching the first Test in Centurion, the visitors failed to capitalize on the momentum and faltered in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Virat Kohli's replacement has plenty to ponder on
Despite the defeat in South Africa, Kohli walked away from leadership as India’s most successful Test captain, with 40 wins from 68 matches. His successor will have a tough act to follow. Here are three major challenges that await him.
#1 Build a stable middle order
This will be the first and foremost task the new Test captain, coach and team management will need to focus on. One of the chief factors behind India’s failure over the last couple of years in the longer format has been the brittle middle order. The fact that India managed to win the Test series in Australia and were 2-1 up in England had a lot to do with the brilliance of the bowling as well as the resurgence of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in the traditional format.
The Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri combination kept backing Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane despite the duo failing series after series. New coach Rahul Dravid also gave opportunities to the experienced duo in a couple of series’. But the ship has clearly sailed for the once-prolific middle-order batters. The time has come to move on to the next generation.
The new Test captain and coach will need to sit down and rebuild the middle order, with the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari expected to get a consistent run to prove their credentials. India also need to figure out whether Mayank Agarwal fits into a middle-order role. Significantly, they will expect much bigger contributions from Kohli as a senior batter now that he has relieved himself of the pressure of leadership.
#2 Work on India winning big moments
Under Kohli, India registered many famous wins both at home and away. But the one area where they often faltered, particularly in away Tests, was in seizing the big moments. They got themselves into winning positions a number of times, only to blow it away with one or two poor sessions of play. It happened Test after Test in England in 2018, when India had the hosts in trouble but allowed them to get away on each occasion.
Even during the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand, they squandered a great platform and ended up conceding the title clash without much of a fight. The story was the same in what turned out to be Kohli’s last assignment as India’s captain. The visitors got off to a memorable start, thumping South Africa in Centurion. However, they couldn’t build on the perfect foundation. India’s "30-40 minutes of poor cricket cost us the game" became a rather lame excuse by the end and even turned into a social media meme.
Great teams are built on the basis of how many big moments they capture. This is definitely one aspect where India have a long way to go irrespective of their massive success as a Test team. Kohli’s successor and coach Dravid, along with other members of the support staff, need to bring in a culture that promotes positive cricket. At the same time, they must ensure that the players are mentally strong to tide over difficult times on a constant basis.
#3 Carrying forward Kohli's legacy
Love him or hate him, but you cannot deny the fact that Kohli has lifted India to some great heights as leader. His Test record speaks for itself - 40 wins in 68 Tests, making him the most successful India skipper ever in the longer format. Only Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh have won more matches as captain in Test history.
Under Kohli, India registered their maiden Test series win in Australia in 2018-19 and were 2-1 up in England as well last year, when the last Test was canceled due to COVID-19. They have also started winning more consistently away from home. Keeping the disappointments aside, he has been at the helm during some historic moments in India’s Test journey.
In a rather distinguished manner, he has carried forward the legacy of MS Dhoni. Now it is the turn of the next captain to ensure that the excellent work and hard yards put in by Kohli over the last seven years are taken forward in the right direction. It will be one hell of a task, which can test the very best. Just ask Kohli!
