T20 World Cup 2021: Virat Kohli faces his toughest test yet as India's limited-overs captain

Virat Kohli will lead India in a vital T20 World Cup 2021 clash against New Zealand on Sunday It is only the Men in Blue's second match of the Super 12 stage. And yet, a defeat would all but rule them out of a place in the semi-finals.

This is unchartered territory for Virat Kohli as India's captain, at least in white-ball cricket. This is his third major limited-overs tournament in charge of India. He had failed to take the team all the way in the prior two competitions despite India being among the favorites on both occasions and playing like that for the most part.

In the 2017 Champions Trophy, India reached the final by winning all their matches along the way. But a stunning Fakhar Zaman century and a top-order collapse saw Pakistan lift the trophy at The Oval.

Two years later, back in England for the 2019 ODI World Cup, India bossed the league stage, finishing atop the standings before coming up short against New Zealand in the semi-finals.

But this time around, India are staring at elimination after just one game into the T20 World Cup 2021. This will pose a new challenge to Virat Kohli in what will be his final assignment as India's captain in the shortest format of the game.

The fact that India lost their opening match to arch-rivals Pakistan by 10 wickets has piled on the pressure. It was the first time Pakistan beat India in a World Cup game, be it ODIs or T20Is.

While Shikhar Dhawan was in sublime form in the 2017 Champions Trophy, Rohit Sharma looked unstoppable in the 2019 ODI World Cup, hitting five centuries.

But this time, India head into the New Zealand game on the back of a 10-wicket hammering with no standout performers in their ranks.

Of course, Virat Kohli hit some gorgeous shots as he scored a half-century and Rishabh Pant looked good in the middle after India lost two early wickets against Pakistan, but the eventual drubbing meant that both knocks lost their sheen.

There is no doubt that the Indian squad is full of immensely talented players, but on Sunday, Virat Kohli will have to dig deep and use the best of his man-management skills and in-game tactical acumen to ensure India stay afloat in the tournament.

He will look to work closely with MS Dhoni, his predecessor and Team India's mentor for the T20 World Cup. Dhoni, of course, is a seasoned war dog, having led India and Chennai Super Kings out of tricky situations many a time in the past.

But this time, he is just an off-field mentor, and Kohli will have to make the tough calls against a dogged New Zealand team.

Virat Kohli and India face New Zealand, again

If Virat Kohli was a superstitious man, he would be cursing his luck right now, having to face New Zealand in a crunch match.

While Kohli's friendship with his opposite number Kane Williamson is well documented, the Kiwis dashed India's World Cup hopes in 2019 and then beat them in the World Test Championship final earlier this year.

New Zealand are once again in a position to rob Virat Kohli of a shot at an elusive ICC trophy as India's skipper.

New Zealand have twice stood in the way of Virat Kohli and an ICC trophy.

It doesn't help that India will have had a week's gap between their first two games. A break usually helps a team after they play a slew of matches on the trot. But a week's gap after the first match of the tournament and that too after suffering a humiliating defeat?

Teams and athletes like to bounce back from losses as quickly as possible to win gain some momentum back. A break like this could allow doubts and questions to creep in. And with the other teams in the group playing at the time, it also sees the stakes raised for India due to the pressure of the points table.

One good thing that the break may have allowed is for Hardik Pandya, who had to be sent for scans after hurting his shoulder against Pakistan, to recuperate well in time for the next match. Pandya was also seen bowling in the nets, which would give Kohli a much-needed extra option to turn to.

Another positive for India is that New Zealand also lost to Pakistan, who are well on the way to the semis having also beaten Afghanistan in their third match. Moreover, the Kiwis have not been in great form in the shortest format. Their last tour of Bangladesh also saw them struggle on sluggish pitches.

But in clutch situations such as this, form and other external factors take a back seat and it mostly boils down to who handles the pressure better. So can Virat Kohli keep the Men in Blue's hopes of a semi-final berth alive or will Sunday be his last effective act as India's T20I captain?