Is temperamental Virat Kohli above media introspection?
JOHANNESBURG: A sense of unease and uncertainty hung over the Wanderers press conference area on Saturday even though India had won the Test. Virat Kohli entered, a few smiles were exchanged, but very soon the tone of the interaction turned acerbic. Sample some of Kohli’s comments after leading India to a memorable Test victory.
“We don’t think like people on the outside. When things don’t go well, we don’t say ‘oh we should have done this’. That’s the easiest thing to do. I can say or write anything about anyone but when you’re in there, you need to be sure and belief in yourself.”
“I can’t say if people are now going to start praising our effort, it should not bother us. Even if you do well as a batsman you get a 100 you start at the same zero, you don’t start on 100 again. So it doesn’t matter what people say about us. Whether they want to say good or bad things about us is completely up to them. People are doing their jobs as well. And we are doing ours inside the rope.”
Kohli is right. Journalists have the advantage of hindsight. And granted, the media sometimes gets away with over the top criticism. Disconcerting, though, is the invisible iron curtain between the team and the media. Kohli’s lack of faith in the media and its credibility is evident.
It started in the later phase of MS Dhoni’s captaincy, only to grow stronger. Remember how Dhoni mocked an Australian journalist because he had asked him about his retirement plans?
Other teams have far better media etiquette. In Cape Town and Centurion, Faf du Plessis brought along the Man of the Match (Vernon Philander and Lungi Ngidi) with him to take questions. Kohli came alone in Johannesburg. Even du Plessis was asked some pointed questions but he patiently answered them. And South Africans are equally objective in their reporting, if not more scathing at times.
What Indian cricketers must understand is that the press conference is the only place where the media feed off their vibes besides ask questions. So they can’t be blamed for picking on contradictory statements. Like when Kohli insisted they were ready for the tour even though the previous day Ravi Shastri had said 10 more days of practice would have benefitted the team.
Earlier in the tour, Kohli said no one wanted Ajinkya Rahane to play in Cape Town, prompting some of us to look at each other with bewilderment. Kohli did include Rahane at Wanderers. If a player’s ouster is dictated by media, does it mean Kohli conceded to criticism and dropped Rohit Sharma? Not really.
These decisions lie solely with the captain. Kohli has every right to stand by his opinion and decide what he feels is in the best interests of the team. The media stands outside. And, yes, they also have an eye for the smallest thing or comment that feels out of place.
Kohli should be pleased to prove wrong most of us who had written that electing to bat at Wanderers was suicidal. But that should not shift the focus away from some crucial selection errors he made in the series.
Kohli had no hesitation accepting South Africa were the better team in the first two Tests. But not once did he say dropping Rahane was probably wrong. Neither did he mention Kumar’s efforts on comeback after being bewilderingly dropped for the second Test.
Given how the media was generous in its praise after having (rightfully) criticised the team, shouldn’t this be a two-way lane for Kohli too? If only he tackles criticism the way he tackles bouncers, Kohli could become our finest leader.