Kohli faces early captaincy challenge after Pune defeat

NEED OF HOUR Indian skipper will need to dig deep into his leadership qualities to lead India’s turnaround after the loss

NEW DELHI: Going into the Test series against Australia, India skipper Virat Kohli was expected to add to his excellent unbeaten run of 19 matches and complete a glorious home streak. His real challenge was expected to come later in the year when India tour overseas.

However, the stunning 333run defeat inside three days in the first Test in Pune on Saturday has thrown up a major leadership challenge for Virat Kohli in his own backyard.

Virat Kohli, as stand-in skipper in the Adelaide Test on the 2014-15 series in Australia, impressed the world with an attacking approach and led with his batting, though India lost narrowly in the end.

He toned down that aggression after India lost the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, dismissed for 112 chasing a target of 176 as the fell to spin.

Kohli quickly revived the team to win the three-Test series from there and has grown in stature as skipper, leading with his fitness and intent to win by playing five bowlers. He has also been sensational with the bat, scoring double centuries in four successive series.

However, Kohli now has a week to regroup the side with coach Anil Kumble for the second Test starting in Bengaluru on March 4. Here are the issues he needs to tackle.

The dry Pune pitch was intended to boost Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, but it was India’s batsmen who were caught out by Aussie left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe, who took a record 12/70, and off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

After India were out for 105 and 107, Kohli called the defeat ‘a reality check’. The first aim will be to restore the batsmen’s confidence as they failed to put up a fight after a rare failure for Kohli, dismissed for 0 and 13.

O’Keefe thrived by putting accuracy over sharp turn. Former India spinner Maninder Singh said Australia showed