After losing the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand, Indian captain Virat Kohli has come under the scanner for his leadership. Many fans and experts of the game have raised questions on Kohli’s captaincy. Some have even suggested that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should take back the captainship from Kohli and give it other senior players like Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma.
Kohli is yet to win an ICC title as skipper. With him as the leader, India earlier faced defeats in the 2017 Champions Trophy final and the 2019 World Cup semi-final.
Reacting to WTC final and Kohli’s captaincy, former Pakistan opener Salman Butt stated that Kohli doesn’t have a big win under his belt, and that’s the prime reason people are going to question his leadership credentials.
Butt said that Kohli had been a bit unlucky as a captain, but at the end of the day, history won’t remember a leader if he doesn’t win any major title.
“India were on top for five years but sadly couldn’t win the biggest match of all, so people are bound to raise questions. You can be a very good captain, but if you don’t win any title, masses won’t remember you. Maybe you are a good captain and have good plans, but your bowler may not be able to execute it. So luck has to be on your side as well. People only remember those who win tournaments,” said Butt.
“Sometimes, you may not be a great captain, but your team may be very good, and you may end up winning a major title. So that does not define a captain, but for the world, of course, a good captain is one who has won big events,” he added.
The 36-year-old mentioned that Kohli’s over-aggression could be misinterpreted, especially when India doesn’t win. Butt asserted that mostly the successful captains in history were cool and calm in nature as it helps to take decisions in crunch situations.
“Virat Kohli has not won any ICC title; neither has he won the IPL. He is a top-class cricketer, has excellent body language and is aggressive. His energy level is at a different level, and it is evident that he wants to give his best every time he steps out in the middle. But captains should be subtle and not fiery. During the WTC final, we kept hearing that it is a battle between fire (Virat Kohli) and ice (Kane Williamson). Most top-class captains who have won titles were cool or gesture-less at crunch moments. Virat Kohli is a man full of gestures. Had he won, he would have been praised no end,” Butt added further.
