NO MERCY

Virat Kohli's stature as India's best ever captain in Test cricket continues to soar. For a man who took over the mantle from none other than MS Dhoni, wearing the skipper's cap has not been easy.

To say that Kohli is at his peak would be stating the obvious. After winning the fourth Test at The Oval against England, his record in Test cricket reads as follows: Matches: 65, won: 38, lost: 16, draw: 11, wins at home: 23, wins away: 15.

Sadly, the fifth and final Test, which was to have begun on Friday in Manchester, has been cancelled. As a result of several support staff mem-bers of the team and coach Ravi Shastri testing positive for COVID-19, the Indian players were not willing to play.

They wrote to the Indian cricket board (BCCI) expressing their fear and conveyed they were not willing to play. Given the clout which the BCCI wields, the English board (ECB) has agreed that the fifth Test will be played later. That may not be before 2022, which is quite bizarre.

With such an enviable record against his name, one would assume Kohli is king. Yes, he is king, even though he has not scored a Test hundred in over two years now. It prompts his fans and critics to speak in the same breath — Kohli is not in form these days!

The problem with Kohli is not the lack of runs. He still does score half centuries but the expectation is that he scores a 100 each time he goes out to bat. Such an expectation from him has arisen because of the way he plays his cricket and has commanded in the ODIs as well with flourish. In 95 ODIs, he has won 65 matches, lost 27 and tied three. The blemish, so to say, is that Kohli has not won any big title for India.

First things first. When India lost the first Test during the tour of Australia last year, Kohli came back home on paternity leave. It left Ajinkya Ra-hane with the unenviable task of leading the side. Rahane did a fantastic job and a side battling major fitness issues tamed the Aussies in their own den. The knives were out for Kohli, that he had abandoned India when he was needed.

Kohli did not respond to the criticism, something which is preserved for him almost on a daily basis. He kept quiet and took over the mantle once again when the Englishmen came to India. From that period onwards, there has been no looking back for Kohli.

Most recently, in June, when India lost the ICC World Test Championship final to New Zealand, Kohli came in for huge flak. He was castrated for picking two spinners — R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja — to play in the rain-marred final.

So, what is it about Kohli that he is under scrutiny all the time? This time, apart from the inability to score a Test hundred, his decision-making is being questioned. More specifically, fans think it's blasphemy that Kohli is deliberately not including R Ashwin in the Playing XI.

There are some who want us to believe Kohli does not like Ashwin. If that be the case, how Ashwin played so many Test matches is a mystery.

Each captain has his own style and method. Indian cricket has seen very successful captains — from Kapil Dev to Mohammad Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly to MS Dhoni. For Kohli to take over the mantle of Test captaincy from Dhoni in the 2014-15 tour of Australia midway through the series was a big challenge. He had not been groomed for it. Yet, when captaincy was thrust on him, he took it up like a challenge.

In fact, he loves challenges. The harder it gets, the more he enjoys the pressure. Viewed from beyond the boundary, there is one big difference between Dhoni and Kohli as test captains. Dhoni gave an impression that he was defensive and more content to play out draws, though stats do not reflect it in totality.

In contrast, in Test cricket, Kohli is always looking for the kill. At The Oval, on a wicket which did not prove much assistance to the bowlers, in a matter of two sessions, India's fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav wrecked England on the last day. For four days in that Test match, the debate was how Ashwin should have played. However, once Bumrah used the reverse swing beautifully and also the bouncers and yorkers to a nice-ty and Umesh responded with raw pace, the Ashwin discussion quietened.

Frankly speaking, Kohli does not care about critics. The encomium he has earned for the win at The Oval from former captains around the world has been huge. And even when he is speaking to the media, he comes across as curt, sometimes bordering on rude. But that's the way he is, show-ing the swagger of a millionaire and possessing a care-a-damn attitude.

If anyone thinks Kohli is going to change his behaviour and body language, forget it. Captaincy is art plus intuition. Where Kohli sets the bench-mark is in his own fitness and hunger for success. He backs his bowlers to deliver and that has been the story recently in England where they have been able to bowl out the opposition in conditions which were supposed to suit the hosts.

Comparisons are being made with the famous series win in 1971, but Kohli is not getting carried away. He knows when he shows body language like that of a heavyweight boxer in the ring and not that of a captain in a gentleman's game, many dislike it. But then, Kohli is not going to change. His aggression is raw and he has no qualms about his entire team needling the opposition on the field. If anyone thinks the Indian captain should have a "good boy" image, Kohli is quite the opposite of it.

So, where is Kohli lacking? Compared to his predecessors, he has not been able to win an ICC title. He has led the side in the ICC World Cup (50 over format), the Champions Trophy and the World Test Championship. Not winning these titles goes against him. The litmus test will be the ICC World T20 in October/November to be held in the UAE this year.

This will possibly be Ravi Shastri's last assignment as Indian team's coach. Given the chemistry between Kohli and Shastri, a lot does hinge on the World T20. There are some in the Indian cricket board (BCCI) who want us to believe there can be a change at the helm towards the end of the year. There is speculation that if Shastri goes, then there may be a change in captaincy as well.

The ICC World T20 may offer cricket fans more pointers to ponder after November this year. Till then, savour King Kohli's leadership style. He shows rival teams no mercy.

Views expressed are personal