Captain Kohli's first big challenge

Delhiite needs to have balanced approach

After earning plenty of praise from many for his aggressive approach to captaincy in the three Tests he has led the team so far, Virat Kohli will face a strong examination of himself when the Indian team kicks-off its short three-Test tour of Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

Billed as heir apparent to the ice-cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni soon after scoring runs by the truckload in the one-dayers, Kohli will be marshalling the troops for a full tour for the first time in his immensely successful career.

Just like his batting where he likes to dominate the opposition from the word go, the 26-year-old gave an indication of how his reign might be while leading the side in the opening Test against Australia last December. Playing some aggressive and exhilarating cricket, batting wise, the Indian team caught the Aussies completely off guard before allowing the hosts to script a thrilling 48-run win.

And, just before leaving for Colombo, the Delhiite stressed that there won’t be any change to his method, saying he will continue to chase victories come what may and would ask his comrades also to do the same without having to worry about defeat.
He confidently proclaimed that he would be employing five bowlers, saying taking 20 wickets is the only way to win a Test match and asked off-spinner R Ashwin — who has two Test centuries — to fill-in as the all-rounder that the country has been searching desperately for a long time. He even suggested he won’t fear playing three spinners if the situation demanded so. While this comes as a complete change of approach to his predecessor MS Dhoni, who chose to play within the limitations and had put aside much of his flair so often seen in limited overs cricket, Kohli may want to strike a balance between aggression and caution.

While it may appear nice to see a team go down fighting, at the end of the day its still a defeat and it counts for nothing. As appealing a sight it may be in going all out for a win, sometimes in the grinding world of Test cricket it pays to live to fight another day rather than busting oneself up in the first round itself — a lesson Kohli would have picked up from the Test series against Australia where he stood in for Dhoni at the start before assuming the mantle by the end.

Having said that, Sri Lanka offers Kohli the right opportunity to ease himself into the captaincy with South Africans set to tour India from October. At his disposal is a young side but experienced enough to tackle the heat and humidity of Sri Lanka. Most of them in the team have travelled to South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia and by now should have got a good grip on Test cricket.

The Sri Lankans, on the other hand, are going through a rebuilding phase and are just recovering from a battering at the hands of Pakistan as they lost Test, ODI and T20 series. Unlike the Indians, who at least appear settled batting-wise, the Lankans are yet to find their feet and with the legendary Kumar Sangakkara set to bid adieu after the second Test, they have some issues to address.

Kohli may not be judged too harshly if the results don’t go India’s way. He though will be watched keenly as a captain, the decisions he makes and how well he copes with the pressures that come with one of the toughest jobs in the country.

It was in the island nation where Kohli kick-started his international career almost seven years ago and just like how his career has flourished after that, he would he determined to start his captaincy era on a successful note.