Lot on the plate for Kohli
"And youth is no guarantee of innovation", says James Bond when he is confronted by a cocky, young and unassuming genius "Q" in the movie "Skyfall". One would be hardput to find a quote more appropriate to aptly describe the predicament of the present Indian skipper, Virat Kohli. Trying to stay true to his Captain, M S Dhoni's spirit, Kohli decided to try a couple of innovations of his own only to realise that what is good for the gander need not necessarily be good for the goose.
To shoot down Kohli after a single loss would be unreasonable and hasty. After all, he did lead the IPL franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore and tasted a great deal of success with it as well. But, therein lies the catch. There is a lot of difference between between leading a side in a T20 match and a ODI and Kohli, it is clear, is not well nuanced in the latter.
Dhoni's meteoric rise as the Captain of the Indian side can be attributed to his sharp cricket acumen, an inherent ability to asses the capabilities of his players and the courage that he possesses to stick to his gut. He has often been slammed and denounced for his outrageous tactics that are highly unorthodox and defy every unwritten law in the book. But, the eight straight overseas Test losses notwithstanding, Dhoni has done a remarkable job at the helm of the Indian side. And for the time being, there is no plausible alternative to Dhoni.
Fresh from its success at the ICC Champions Trophy, it is highly likely that complacency srreped into the minds of the Indians, whose performance in the ongoing triangular series has been below par. After having lost two games on the trot, India is now staring down the barrel and will have to regroup quickly if it is to harbour any chances of making it to the final and Kohli will have to put his thnking cap on. The ability to maintain his poise and composure even in such crunch situations was Dhoni's USP. Kohli will do well to take a leaf out of Dhoni's book.
Instead of going for slightly outlandish measures, a habit that Dhoni became renowned for, Kohli will do well to stick to what he knows best and run the team that way. Neither his gamble to push Murali Vijay ahead of himself in the batting line-up nor his decision to rest in-form bowler, Bhuvneshwar Kumar paid off. Kohli has a lot on his table right now and the first thing he needs to do is to take stock of the damage and analyse what went so horribly wrong in the game against Sri Lanka.
A defeat is something that sportspersons and fans alike need to take in their stride. But, it is the nature of defeat that makes the difference. When a team or a sportsperson goes down meekly, it does not make for good sport whereas a fight to the finish is always applauded. So, even if Kohli fails to lead India to a win in the tournament, he will do well to ensure that his team puts up a brave fight.
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