'Those criticising his leadership will admire his tactical genius' - Aakash Chopra feels captain Virat Kohli will be missed

Former Indian opener Akash Chopra feels that Virat Kohli, the captain, will be missed in the future and those critical of his captaincy acumen right now would appreciate the same once he is gone.

Kohli announced his decision to step down as Team India’s T20I skipper upon the conclusion of the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played in the United Arab Emirates and Oman from October 17 to November 14 citing “workload” and giving himself “space” to lead in Test and ODI cricket as the reasons.

Only a week later, he declared that the ongoing 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League will be his last at the helm of Royal Challengers Bangalore, although he clearly expressed, “I can’t think of being in any other team than RCB and that has been my commitment from day one”. Kohli has been associated with RCB ever since the inception of the IPL in 2008, while he took the leadership duties in 2013 and is currently in charge.

‘Those criticising his leadership will admire his tactical genius’ – Aakash Chopra feels captain Virat Kohli will be missed

Chopra, in an October 11 tweet, wrote: “I have a feeling that in a few years time we will miss Kohli-the captain. All those who are criticising his leadership skills now will appreciate and admire his tactical genius”.

I have a feeling that in a few years time we will miss Kohli-the captain. All those who are criticising his leadership skills now will appreciate and admire his tactical genius…

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) October 11, 2021

The elusive tournament victory for Virat Kohli

Under Kohli, Team India retained the top spot in ICC Test rankings for five straight years, while he is the format’s fourth most successful captain having won 38 of the 65 Tests he has captained. Those ahead of him are Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, and Steve Waugh. In the limited-overs format, India has won 27 of their 45 T20Is and 65 of their 95 ODIs under Kohli.

However, in comparison to his predecessor MS Dhoni, who won each one of the three ICC trophies, Kohli is yet to stake a claim on any major international tournament, with India’s last triumph dating back to the 2013 Champions Trophy under Dhoni. Apart from multi-team international tournaments, an IPL title, too, has continued to elude Kohli.

After the CT 2013 victory, India has lost the 2014 T20 World Cup final to Sri Lanka, 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final to West Indies, 2017 Champions Trophy final to Pakistan, 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cup semi-finals to Australia and New Zealand, respectively, while the WTC final more recently in 2021.

India embark on their next ICC tournament in the form of the upcoming T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman from October 24, after the conclusion of the IPL 2021.