Four Test series, four wins as captain, including one whitewash. Virat Kohli has been having a good time since he took over the captaincy from Mahendra Singh Dhoni during India’s tour of Australia in late 2014. During this near-two-year period, he has scored six Test hundreds, two out of which were double centuries. He averages 53.92 with the bat as captain, much higher than his overall Test average of 45.56.
Strictly by numbers and results, Kohli is turning out to be a great captain for India.
The thing about statistics is that, sometimes, either they sell you the wrong picture, or miss the finer elements of it. Kohli has done wonderfully as a captain and batsman statistically, but how has he done as a leader? There are no numbers to show that.
However, there are visuals.
Team man...
When Cheteshwar Pujara finally reached his century in the second innings of the third Test, the entire Indian dressing room was up clapping for the batsman. India had perhaps batted for a few overs longer than they would have liked to, in order to allow Pujara reach three figures for the first time in the series, but Kohli was visibly delighted for his No. 3. He then allowed the over to end before signalling to his batsmen to wrap up, so that the declaration does not overshadow Pujara’s milestone and let him fully soak in the moment.
Earlier in the day, when lunch was called, Kohli let Pujara, who had just reached his half-century, walk off the field first. There have been rumours, mostly spread through the media, that the two don’t really get along with each other, especially after the strike-rate episode, when head coach Anil Kumble seemed to have contradicted Kohli’s opinion about the pace with which Pujara scores runs.
Pujara has since clarified himself that it was “positive intent”, and not the strike-rate, that was discussed. Is it thus possible that it’s just the media that is cooking up these issues between the two? Quite. “If you see Pujara hitting a fast bowler back over his head, it is the best example of expressing yourself,” Kohli said, at the post-match presentation in Indore. All this shows that he backs Pujara and is trying to get the best out of his teammate. It also shows signs of a captain who is slowly maturing into a good leader.
Other examples of good leadership from Kohli during this series are allowing Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s premier strike bowler, to deliver the motivational speech during the team huddle ahead of the start of a session, and letting Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took five wickets in one of the innings of the Kolkata Test, to lead the team out on to the field.
...and now statesman
During the post-match press conference in Indore, Kohli was offered bait by one journalist, who asked him about an active Indian cricketer’s comments about India playing in “tailor-made conditions for spinners” at home over the last four years. But the Indian captain did not take the bait. “Who made that statement?” Kohli asked, to which he was told it was Harbhajan Singh. “Oh? Okay.”
Kohli could have so easily taken a pot-shot at Harbhajan’s performance during the famous Galle Test last year when the off-spinner looked nowhere close to taking a wicket on a turning surface. However, Kohli chose to just ignore the comment and praise his spinners. “See, even if it is a turning pitch you have to bowl well. Spin doesn’t happen only off the pitch. Spin is about how many revs you impart off the shoulder first. And then the ball will do something off the pitch,” he said.
Praising the unsung heroes
In the same press interaction, Kohli made sure that it wasn’t just the Pujaras and Ashwins that were spoken about. “It is a team sport, and it is played like a team sport,” he said. “For me, the most important points in this series were [Ravindra] Jadeja’s batting in the first Test [when he scored a half-century to bail India out of trouble], [Wriddiman] Saha’s batting in the second Test [a fifty under similar circumstances], and [Mohammed] Shami’s spell in the second Test, [where he took two wickets and helped India wrap up a 178-run win]. They matter a lot to the team. Obviously you feel good about big individual contributions, but we focus more on little contributions. Because the big ones will be talked of anyway.”
Another unsung hero who Kohli praised during the match was India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar. After he reached his century, Kohli celebrated by looking towards the Indian dressing room and mock-throwing a ball with an imaginary sidearm, a device often used by coaches to bowl during net practice. “[Bangar] always keeps assuring you that you are playing well, stay in that zone,” Kohli said. “It helps a lot. Sometimes you are in a position when you are thinking about too many things, but there should be someone who talks to you, shares your load, shares your thoughts. On a regular basis he does that. That’s why I thanked him. A lot of people ignore how much work the support staff puts in behind the scenes.”
The batsman who kills softly
While India may have won the series 3-0, there were many instances during all three matches when New Zealand took a session and threatened to press advantage. However, Kohli was calm as ever, never panicked and did not allow his team to do so either. He understood that losing a session is part of the game and it’s about who comes out on top at the end that matters.
Kohli’s double century itself was a great example of how he has matured not just as a captain, but also as a Test batsman. He had gotten out early playing his natural attacking game in the previous eight innings. Not one to easily curb his instincts, the patience and focus he displayed during the nearly nine-hour innings in Indore was outstanding: his 211 included 115 singles. New Zealand coach Mike Hesson put it best when he said, “Kohli killed us softly, is the nicest way of describing it, after scoring about 120 singles.”
There is a new Kohli out there. Gone is the brash, foul-mouthed youngster with tattoos and an attitude. This is Kohli 2.0 – a captain, a leader, a thinker and a team man, and it looks like he is here to stay.