Haren
India went all guns blazing in 2014 chasing 364 runs in Adelaide. It was Virat Kohli’s first game as red-ball captain and the team’s willingness to chase down the total instead of looking for a draw on the final day was indicative of the brand of cricket the Indian talisman wanted to instill at the time which also made him the best Indian Test captain with 40 wins eventually.
“We were transitioning then when you (Gautam Gambhir) guys had made way for the younger team Mahi bhai left the Test captaincy for me it was…I was 25 and I had a team of 25-24-year-olds how do we become that team of household names as you become? I sat down like…I thought It couldn’t happen by chance. When I started to think from the Point Of View where Indian cricket has to be in seven years the solutions came,” recalled Kohli speaking on BCCI TV in a chat with Gambhir.
Explaining the process Kohli said, “Need to give ownership to five batters and a keeper to get us 350-400 runs. You can’t have a seventh option to give cushion to the batters.” Before Kohli took over the leadership, India for the most part played with seven batters including a keeper and four bowlers.
However, having five batters meant India also had the luxury of five bowlers which ensured that the team could pick twenty wickets in a Test match consistently which was the cornerstone of Kohli’s success as captain. “Credit has to go to you as a batter it is easy to put strong six-seven batters on the board but the way you identified especially the attitude you got on the field for the fast bowlers.”
In addition to having one of the best records for Indian caption with a win percentage of 58.8 (minimum 40 matches) under his leadership, India became a formidable force in overseas conditions registering a series win for the first time in Australia and coming close to a series win in England.
