Captain Kohli needs to learn from the captaincy of Rohit Sharma for ODI success

Whether in the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka or the just-concluded Asia Cup, in the absence of the regular Indian captain Virat Kohli, his deputy Rohit Sharma has done a commendable job as the captain. He has won both the trophies, with a side depleted by the absence of its best batsman.

His captaincy has been so good that there have been suggestions from some experts that he is probably a better captain than Kohli and possibly, India would have a better chance at winning the 2019 world cup under the calmer influence of Rohit than the sometimes impetuous and emotionally charged captaincy of Virat Kohli.

However, at this point, it is quite unlikely that such a suggestion would even be considered by the Indian selectors, even for a moment, and rightly so, as the World Cup is just round the corner. To go ahead with any such proposal would unnecessarily bring friction in a more or less settled side. To be fair to Kohli, his captaincy has not been too shabby in the ODIs, though some crucial decisions in big tournaments such as the 2017 Champions trophy would continue to haunt him.

Having said that, captain Kohli must learn a few things from his Vice-Captain. Apart from the obvious calmness on the field that has a calming influence on the rest of the teammates, Kohli should learn to show faith in the capability of players who have a different style of play than his own.

It has often been observed that Kohli likes players who are ‘aggressive’ – in other words, he has a liking for stroke-makers such as KL Rahul or Hardik Pandya, and despite the inconsistency they show, Kohli prefers to give them a longer rope. On the other hand, he does not seem to quite like the players who are not stylish stroke-makers. His patience runs thin with them after only a couple of failures.

Captain Rohit Sharma's preference of Ambati Rayudu's performance over KL Rahul's potential paid rich dividends in the Asia Cup

Ambati Rayudu is one such player. In the Asia Cup, Rohit Sharma gave him ample opportunity and kept him in the playing eleven in all the matches, despite calls from many experts and former cricketers to replace him with the ‘more stylish’ and ‘more attacking’ KL Rahul.

It is to Rohit Sharma’s credit that he stuck to his guns. He preferred consistency over flashes of brilliance and performance over potential. Rayudu’s performances, like his game, were quite crucial to India’s title-winning run in the Asia cup, even though he went under the radar most of the time.

It’s time that Kohli understands that a great team need not be built by having players with great ability and potential. Sometimes, players with slightly lesser ability but more consistency and the right attitude can take the team on to the path of greatness.