New roles, newer challenges

Captaincy in Indian cricket is a bit like how shares are looked at in the stock market. If, till yesterday, Virat Kohli was the blue-chip stock, today he has become tradeable.

To cut a long story short, as had been written about in the same column two months ago, Kohli's days as white ball captain were numbered. Whether he quit the T20 captaincy of the Indian team before the ICC World T20 in the United Arab Emirates or was eased out is now well known. Similarly, when Rohit Sharma was named captain for the ODIs last week, it became crystal clear what the thought process of the Board of Control for Cricket in India has been.

You can argue that the way Kohli has been sacked from ODI captaincy reeks of unprofessionalism. Fact is, the BCCI has always been autocratic. They can make the captain feel like a king one day and a pauper the next day. This time, after announcing the captain for the ODI series in South Africa, which will be held after the Test series, the BCCI stayed quiet for one day before wanting President Sourav Ganguly to make us believe this was part of the transition process.

For India to win two series at home against New Zealand, the T20 and Tests, was good news. Rohit Sharma was the captain for the T20 series, and even for the two-Test series, there were two captains — Ajinkya Rahane as stand-in for the first Test before Kohli claimed a huge victory in the second Test in Mumbai.

The debate over split captaincy has been raging for a very long time. When MS Dhoni was captain in all formats, it was felt the workload was too much. Dhoni being Dhoni, he pulled it off as long as he could. When the time came for him to slowly hand over the captaincy, he did it on his own, first in Test and then in the shorter formats, without being nudged by the BCCI. That is, perhaps, why Dhoni still commands so much more respect even today, despite having retired from international cricket.

However, the same cannot be said about Kohli, who was autocratic as well as arrogant. As long as it suited the BCCI, he was allowed to rule. Perhaps, not winning a single ICC Trophy — in Test, ODI or T20 — was the golden yardstick which the BCCI used for showing him the door in white ball captaincy.

Kohli is the undisputed leader in Indian Test cricket. As of today, there is no doubt that he has led by example, though the time has come when people are questioning when he will start scoring runs. Talking specifically about Test cricket, the debate over the shelf lives of Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara has been raised multiple times. Perhaps, Kohli will realise the time has come when he too has to score big runs. South Africa is going to be a hard test for him in the red ball game where India will play three matches.

Many experts are arguing that Kohli's record as captain is fantastic. Yes, it is, but the gold standard which the BCCI has set is in order. Dhoni had won India the T20 trophy in 2007 and the ODI World Cup in 2011 at home. Kohli has been given ample chances and he did not deliver at the highest level. What also goes against Kohli is the way he is perceived as a leader.

Comparisons continue to be floated between him and Dhoni and the consensus is that Kohli has not handled many players with care. A few examples which come readily to mind are that of Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin and Ambati Rayudu. Ashwin being ignored by Kohli had become glaring. If Kohli thought it was not being noticed, he was foolish. The same Ashwin has shown today in recent T20 matches, as well as in Tests, he is sharp, hungry and ready to show his wares with variation.

Looking at the tour ahead to South Africa, it is going to be a hard one in many ways. Agreed, India did very well in the two-way tours to Australia and England in 2021. The Omicron variant is raging in South Africa and is bound to play in the minds of all the cricketers. Being in the Bio Bubble is hard. It becomes harder when you know the new Covid-19 virus variant is more dangerous and travels faster.

International sport has been played for over 17 months, across all disciplines, despite the pandemic. The true champions have continued to deliver, unmindful of the environment. And it is in this very atmosphere the new white-ball captain of Indian cricket, Rohit Sharma, has to deliver. Calculations are being made about how Rohit, who has been in sublime form in all forms of cricket, has been scoring well.

The big test for him comes too soon — the ICC World T20 next year and the ODI World Cup in 2023. The advantage for Rohit is that he has the experience and has played under two good captains — Dhoni and Kohli. Given his rich experience of marshaling the Mumbai Indian team in the IPL, Rohit will be expected to produce the same magic. As it is, the new white-ball captain has been taking breaks when needed. Over the next two years, the bulky Mumbaikar needs to get better on fitness, vis a vis his weight and getting the back stronger and also how he handles the workload. For the record, he is older than Virat Kohli.

Rohit's partnership with new coach Rahul Dravid will be viewed with more interest as they are the ones expected to find the best mix. Indian cricket is blessed in many ways that even when there have been so many injuries in recent times — KL Rahul, Shubhman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja — the replacements have delivered.

Jadeja has a knee niggle and will not be going to South Africa. In case Jadeja decides to focus more on white ball cricket and give up red ball cricket, then it becomes good for the captain Rohit. But the key will be to have a good core group which can be banked upon. Does Kohli fit into it?

The former white ball captain is aware he is under the scanner as much as anyone else. The BCCI has conveyed a message to him that he is not needed as captain in a terse manner. Yet, for him to stand up and be counted as a player available to play all competitions, he has to score runs. The lofty standards he had set are now haunting him. The centuries are not seen, the big knocks are elusive.

From here on, Kohli will be compared with the Young Turks when it comes to selection, as the white ball game is very hard and fast. Kohli is super fit, no doubting that. However, he needs to score runs and the best way would be to do it in Tests in South Africa. That, perhaps, is the reason why the ODI team has not been announced till now.

From now till December 26, more will be heard on how the BCCI has handled Kohli — the white ball captain. Was he sacked, was he told about the writing on the wall? The bottom line is, captaincy is not a contract given for continuation in perpetuity! Certainly not when one is talking about Indian cricket.

Views expressed are personal