Virat Kohli's Resignation Leaves a Big Hole In Leadership

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In a shocking decision, Virat Kohli stepped down as Captain of the Indian Test Side, leaving a lacuna in team leadership that no current player can fill. 

KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma were not certainties in the side eight months ago. Ajinkya Rahane is done. Rishabh Pant has barely matured as a batsman let along making him Captain and the team is left with no one who can lead.

The big mystery in Cricket, that I have struggled to unravel for some time, is why bowlers are not made captains. Not just in Indian cricket but the world over. Pat Cummins is currently captain of Australia but it seems like it was just because Tim Paine ran in to a controversy and they had to make a choice at the last moment. 

The last Australian bowler to captain the side over a long period of time was Richie Benaud in the late fifties and sixties. The last English bowler was Bob Willis in the early eighties. Anil Kumble captained India for 14 tests in between Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni but that seemed like it was a potential stop gap. Jason Holder of the West Indies was the rare exception. 

If anyone can explain why bowlers are not made Captain, I would love to understand the logic. I only ask because besides Virat, the only real certainties in the playing XI over the past few years have been bowlers. 

A bit of blame for the current situation must go to Virat and Ravi Shastri. Over the past few years they have not groomed and developed the younger lot of players as leaders. There was a time in the team when we had four players who could captain the side- Sachin, Sourav, Dravid and Kumble. As of today there are none. 

Virat and Ravi Shastri failed to do this in the short format as well. Hence, after Virat the captaincy was given to a 34 year old Rohit Sharma. Don’t get me wrong, I think Rohit will make a fine white ball captain. But there still is no one next in line. 

One of the great dynasties in Test Cricket saw the next generation of leaders being developed over time. Allan Border to Mark Taylor to Steve Waugh to Ricky Ponting. As India moved from MS Dhoni to Virat Kohli we have failed at finding and developing the next leader. 

Captaincy in Test Cricket is a vital role. It is not for everyone and the decisions that win or lose you a session can transform a test match and series. As things stand today India is in trouble, till a leader emerges.




Photo Credit https://www.dnaindia.com/cricket/report-breaking-virat-kohli-steps-down-as-test-captain-of-indian-cricket-team-2928597

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