elevation

Australian sports psychologists always recommend- take care of the runs and the dollars will take care of themselves! Virat Kohli epitomises this thought. The rare day of the leap year brought special news to him as he was promoted as the vice captain of the team ahead of the Asia Cup which starts on 11^th March.

His magnificent performances down under which include a hundred apiece in Tests as well as one-day games led to his elevation. He amassed 373 runs at an impressive average of 53.29. Resultantly, he was rewarded with this responsibility after his marvellous innings of 133* versus Sri Lanka at Hobart. It questions the leadership role of other seniors in the team . For instance, Gautam Gambhir who was seen as the successor to M.S. Dhoni was snubbed on this occasion. Virender Sehwag too, was ‘rested’ for this series.

In one of his recent interviews Rahul Dravid mentioned that Gambhir should not be disappointed with the elevation of Kohli to this post. There was a need for him (Kohli) to establish himself but this shall be a good experience for him. Other retired players like Wasim Akram have questioned his appointment stating that there would be unrest amongst the seniors. Former World Cup winning captain, Kapil Dev also accused Dhoni of being biased in appointing him for the post.

In my opinion, Kohli can prove to be a good leader. The last time India played the tri-series in Australia in 2008, it was under his captaincy that the Indian U-19 team won the World Cup in Malaysia. His skills as a leader were appreciated in the last Indian Premier League when he captained the Royal Challengers Bangalore for most of the time in the tournament. The sense of responsibility in him needs no justification. At the age of eighteen he was playing Ranji tournaments. In one of the matches, he was batting on 30 when he got the news that his father’s demise. He insisted on continuing the innings so that his team could win the match and scored 90 runs. And then went home to perform the last rites. This incident speaks for itself!

Other youngsters in the team have had their experiences at captaincy. Experimentation has been done with Gambhir and Suresh Raina. Given his current form and his capabilities, Kohli certainly deserves a chance to prove his mettle as vice captain.