Is it time for leader Kohli to back his players and give individuals a good run?

Virat Kohli is the best batsman in world cricket right now and there can’t be any debate surrounding it. There can’t be a more deflating thing for a genius cricketer like Kohli to see his side end up losers with him scoring 200 runs in a Test.

The batting unit completely let the skipper down against a quality England attack. Yes, there are technical deficiencies which the Indian top-order needs to address quickly.

However, let’s go beyond it for a while and assess what has really gone wrong? This Indian team under Kohli has come close to winning Tests away on numerous occasions but have fallen short.

Australia v India - 1st Test: Day 4

Why so? Kohli has led India in 36 Tests since 2014. And one can’t remember when was the last time India played the similar XI twice in a row!

Injuries, rest, lack of form, strike-rate issues, combination, opposition...the bottom line is, except Kohli, no one in that Indian squad can put their hand up and say that they will be part of the playing XI in the next game.

Yes, no one should take their position for granted. But on the other hand, it’s important to give confidence to the players.

When Sourav Ganguly led the side, he knew his top six batsmen. It was almost the same with MS Dhoni until a few stars retired. But with Kohli, it’s a tough one.

What if Dhoni and Virender Sehwag had decided to back a benched Rohit Sharma instead of Kohli when the latter had failed four innings on the trot in Australia in 2011-2012? Kohli justified their decision.

This India team under Kohli is talented and certainly have the ability to win series away but it’s still not a settled one and that’s an issue that needs to be addressed. There is too much tinkering going around - be it right or wrong.

Take this case: Rohit failed in the first two Tests against South Africa earlier this year, then he was dropped for the final Test and later found himself out the squad for the England Test series.

Rohit Sharma

Whom did Rohit replace in the first instance? Ajinkya Rahane. The man who led India to a series win against Australia last year!

On the eve of the second Test against South Africa, Kohli had stated: “I explained the reasons why Rohit Sharma started ahead of him. I'm not saying that Ajinkya cannot or will not start in this game. Possibilities are all open at the moment and we shall decide after practice."

Ajinkya Rahane

Post the series loss after the second Test in South Africa, Kohli mentioned: “If we had won this, was this the best 11? We don't decide the 11 according to results. You are telling me that you could have played the best 11. You tell me the best 11 and we will play that."

Opening combination: Vijay and Dhawan played the first Test in South Africa, Vijay-Rahul played the next two Tests and all three have now played in India’s last two Tests against Afghanistan and England. Who are the regular openers here?

Cheteshwar Pujara: England has been Pujara’s home for the last four-odd months. The Saurashtra batsman by now probably knows at what time does a cricket ball swing in England. The 30-year-old has been playing county cricket for the past three-four months and come match time, he found himself on the bench.

He played in South Africa, he played against Afghanistan, he plays county cricket and doesn’t get picked for England Test. Why so?

Cheteshwar Pujara

At least, a few cricketers who play limited-overs cricket and are in and out of Tests such as Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma know they have a chance of making it to the other format if they score well. But for Pujara, a Test-match specialist, it will be hard to switch on and switch off.

There can be an argument that these guys are professional cricketers and that they need to be ready for action anytime. But does it really work that way?

The confidence factor is clearly missing. R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and the bowling unit too haven’t got a proper run say three to four matches on the trot.

Let’s count the number of all-format players in this Indian team. Dhawan at times gets dropped mid-way in the Test series. Ashwin and Jadeja haven’t played limited-overs cricket for a year now. Rahane looks clueless, Rahul’s position in the squad is now safe but he doesn’t know where he will play.

R Ashwin

Rohit still an enigma in Test cricket. Ishant Sharma doesn’t play limited-overs cricket. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah who play all formats get injured. Wriddhiman Saha plays only Test cricket. Parthiv Patel plays home Tests against England and now Dinesh Karthik gets a look in.

Umesh Yadav gets dropped frequently, Mohammed Shami has his own personal and cricketing battles to look at.

Post captain Dhoni era, Pandya and Kohli are probably the two cricketers now who fit in all formats of the game.

Batsman Kohli has clarity and utmost confidence. One feels it’s high time leader Kohli infused it with his team members.

India have lost the first Test. Will Kohli back the same eleven? Or will he pick Pujara at the expense of Rahane or Rahul or Dhawan or Vijay? Will it be the same bowling attack? We have to wait and watch.