Virat Kohli - Moulding the future of Indian cricket towards its most dazzling phase

Few would argue that 2016 has been one of the best years for Indian Test cricket in recent times. After vanquishing England 4-0 in the recently concluded Test series, Team India took its winning tally this year to nine without a single loss. Presently, they are also on their longest winning streak – 18 Tests – without being beaten once. This, to put it quite frankly, is simply outstanding. Granted that most of these victories have come in home conditions, but one simply has laud such a dominant winning run.

At the helm of these victories has been Virat Kohli – the Indian Test captain. When he took over the reins from Mahendra Singh Dhoni back in December 2014, there was a lot of uncertainty. Many felt that captaincy might affect Virat adversely and his at times over-aggressive approach may not suit the team. But the man has turned things around and how.

Captaincy Record

After 22 Tests as captain, Virat has 14 wins and 2 losses- the highest at this juncture by an Indian captain. After the same number of Tests as captain, Dhoni had 13 wins, Sourav Ganguly had 10 and Sunil Gavaskar had 7. Clearly, Virat Kohli the captain is shining magnificently at present.

Let’s now delve a little deeper and see how well is he performing his leadership duties.

Transformation in Test batting

Sample these numbers: before he was a Test captain, Virat Kohli had played 31 Tests and scored 2098 runs at an average of 41.13 with 7 centuries and 10 half-centuries; after being appointed as the Indian Test captain, Kohli played 22 Tests and scored 2111 runs at an average of 63.96 with 8 centuries and 4 half-centuries.

Kohli has been a remarkable limited-overs player over the years, but his Test form hadn’t really gone to the next level. But these numbers clearly indicate the transformation Kohli has had as a Test batsman after taking on leadership responsibilities. The pressure and responsibility of leading the side eggs him on and it reflects on his batting where he is leading from the front.

He has scored three double hundreds in 2016 alone – all of them as captain – and is looking a much more sorted, complete and confident Test batsman these days.

There will be bigger challenges when he tours places like South Africa, England, Australia and New Zealand. But the way he is oozing confidence at present and the hunger in his eyes bodes well for the future.

Fantastic team selection and building a winning culture

Thus far, Kohli’s team selections have been spot on, more often than not. His team has never sported the same eleven for consecutive matches as he believes in the horses for courses approach. If it is a seaming track, he opts for Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, otherwise, he goes for Umesh Yadav. He rotates his bowlers well and ensures that everyone in the squad gets the opportunity to play at least once in a series.

Kohli loves playing with five bowlers, believing that they are the ones who will win him Tests. He never lets his bowlers get demotivated; he is always at their ears, pushing them, egging them on.

When Kohli had assumed the responsibility of the team, he had stressed on several occasions that he wanted to build a winning culture in the team. These past few months have given a small glimpse of that. The current Indian Test team looks very well-rounded, with every player knowing his role well, and more than the victories they have achieved, there seems to be a certain sense of positivity in them. A lot of credit for that has to go to the captain. He is backing his players to the hilt and creating and a positive atmosphere for building a great winning culture in the team.

The Indian Test Team is taking the essence of captain Kohli

In his first Test as captain for India against Australia in the 2014 Test match at Adelaide, India were giving the home team a real run for their money while chasing a target of 364 on the final day. Kohli led from the front with a scintillating 141 and even when he fell with the score on 304/7, he encouraged the others on to keep up the ante. They could have perhaps drawn the game. But Kohli wanted to go for a win at all costs. India, eventually, lost the game. But Kohli’s positive approach won a lot of hearts.

“At no point did we not think about chasing the score down,” Kohli said after the game. “We have come here to play positive cricket. No sort of negativity is welcome in this group. That’s the kind of belief we have come here with. This has been one of our strongest performances overseas in the past two-three years, and I am really proud the way the boys played in this game. Showed a lot of heart and a lot of character.”

This was perhaps the sign of things to come; that Kohli, the captain, meant business; that he wasn’t satisfied with anything less than victory; that he intends to build his team with the precisely the same mindset.

Slowly but surely, the Indian team is feeding off Kohli’s positive mindset. This feels like a refreshing and new Team India which is not intimidated by anything; just like Kohli.

Now there are bound to be some lapses in the days to come; especially when the team travels overseas. But Virat Kohli is certainly paving the way for a new dawn in Indian cricket that may well be one it’s finest ever. That Kohli the captain is helping Kohli the batsman perform better is even healthier news for Indian cricket.

Thus, in his 22 Tests as captain, Kohli has certainly come off with flying colors. All eyes will now be on him to see if he manages to sustain this incredible run. For now, it surely feels like Virat Kohli as a captain has the ability to mold the future of Indian cricket to its most dazzling phase.