Govind Tekale
A sudden announcement of resignation as Test Captain by Virat Kohli has stunned us all. It surprised a common cricket lover like me to a veteran of the game like Sunil Gavaskar.
During his captaincy, Kohli not only stopped the attack, but also counter-attacked. If Ganguly as a captain of blue team followed a tit for tat policy, Kohli directly attacked in rival’s weak spots. He was successful in Australia & England. His aim was to win the test series in South Africa, but after losing it he thought it prudent to resign rather than facing a call for his ouster.
All his teammates have thanked him profusely. He remains one of the social media kings too, he has one of the largest following on social media sites. Bollywood too has paid glowing tributes to him for his hard work. Even after his exit he continues to be number one in the Advertising world. Thus he has turned tables on his critics.
He will go down as the most successful captain during his seven-year long eventful leadership. Under mentorship of Ravi Shastri he flourished in all the three formats of the game. His wife Anoushka has commended his never give in attitude. The Maharashtra Times has hailed him as the face of New India. A lot of cricket is still left in him. It will be fascinating to watch this glamourous hard hitter playing his natural free from the burden of captaincy for the next four to five years. May this King of cricket gain new heights!
In his absence as Captain, there is disarray in the tea. Drooping shoulders. Not being on the ball. Waiting for things to happen. These are things one did not associate with the Indian team when Virat Kohli was the captain.
Virat’s legacy as a captain will stand for the kind of benchmarks he has set. There will be people who will talk about wins in Australia, England , S L etc etc. Wins are just a result and the seeds are always sown well before the harvest! The seeds he managed to sow is the standard he set for himself and hence set the expectations straight with the other members of the team.
Now the ball is in the court of selectors. The vacuum created by sudden exit of Kohli is not so difficult to fill as Rohit or Rahul can take his place, but there will be always comparison till Virat’s successor settles down.
