Captaincy Virat’s big challenge now

In the press conference after losing the first Test, Virat Kohli showed mild annoyance at inquiries whether India would be under duress in the second match that starts on Saturday. He averred that the team would come back with renewed intent to square the series.

It is incumbent on captains to keep the morale of their players intact after a setback. Dithering in such situations can easily be taken as fear within the rank and file, and could lead to losing the next battle even before it has started.

But I’d like to believe Kohli’s optimism is not mere bravado. Though the margin of defeat in the first Test—by 10 wickets— was huge, this must be juxtaposed in the backdrop of how the team has performed in the past 15 months or so.

It was India’s first defeat after losing to Australia at Perth in mid-December 2018. That rubber then stood at 1-1. The third Test at Melbourne India won to take a 2-1 lead, and the fourth at Sydney was drawn to give India a historic first Test series win in Australia.

Since then, Kohli’s team won seven Tests in a row: against West Indies (3), South Africa (3) and Bangladesh (1). Admittedly, none of these teams was strong. West Indies are still struggling in the 5-day format, South Africa are in the process of rebuilding, and Bangladesh, without Tamim and Sakib, were half a team.

Nonetheless, the manner and margin of India’s victories was stellar, making their position as the No.1 Test side more robust, and raising expectations of winning in New Zealand. Playing overseas had been India’s biggest problem for decades, but after winning in Australia, a psychological hump seemed to have been overcome.

The Kiwis had hit a slump, whitewashed by Australia in an away series. Batting mainstay Kane Williamson’s form had been poor, pace spearhead Trent Boult was returning from injury, and Neil Wagner missed the first Test for the birth of his first child.

So many things seemed to favour India that the result was totally unexpected. Several reasons have been put up to explain why India sank at Wellington. I’ll combine these into one: failure of India’s best batsmen—Kohli and Pujara—and best bowlers— Bumrah and Shami—to make any impact.

I can’t remember something like this happening over the past couple of years, so it is probably an aberration. Or is it something deeper like fatigue or complacency? But whatever the issue, the Wellington result showed how vulnerable this could leave the team.

Kohli’s chagrin in the press conference would be for two reasons: Dent in pride and the possibility to get 60 points in the Test World Championship had been lost. (Each series in the Championship carries 120 points).

India’s top Test ranking and lead position in the Test Championship table is unassailable in this series, irrespective of results. But top teams and players don’t like being humbled. Kohli chafes at the thought of losing.

He will be particularly upset his team didn’t even look like they had any chance at getting the 60 points on offer, which would have enhanced India’s points (360) to a position virtually assuring them of a place in the final in mid-2021. Now, the field is still open.

Then on Wednesday, Kohli would have got a reminder of how bad news often comes in clusters. The latest ICC rankings released saw him being toppled by Steve Smith as the world’s premier Test batsman.

But the batting ranking is not as crucial as other issues. The difference between him and Smith is a mere five points. One good knock at Christchurch could see him overhaul the Aussie. If he gets going, Kohli can also win a match off his own blade.

The more compelling issue is how he motivates his team to emerge from the trauma of defeat and perform at the optimum, what tactics he rejigs to stymie the resurgent Kiwis, etc.

The biggest challenge for Kohli in the second Test is something that does not get points from ICC, but is at the core of a team doing well. Captaincy.