Begin typing your search...

Captains’ choice

Team India skipper Virat Kohli has a big responsibility of not only leading but also propping up the batting of his side

Captains’ choice
X

Chennai

Before this World Cup, during a captains news conference, each captain was asked a hypothetical question. Who would you choose from the rival teams to be part of your squad? Rashid Khan was picked by two captains, Virat Kohli by the Bangladesh skipper and the Indian captain chose Faf du Plessis of South Africa!


If you look at the choices, Kohli was picked by a rival captain and for good reason too. Among the captains in the 2019 World Cup, Kohli is the No. 1 impact player by a distance. Not for India, but in the world too. None of the teams, except for New Zealand (Kane Williamson), has its No. 1 impact player leading it in the World Cup. For that reason, Kohli has a big responsibility of not onlyleading India, one of the favourites, but also propping up the batting of his team.


Williamson is in the same boat as NZ relies heavily on him on the batting front. But being the No. 1 batsman in One-Day Internationals, the focus will be on the Indian captain. It is not an enviable task, not for an Indian alone, but for any captain. The great Sachin Tendulkarnever led India in a WC, despite holding the record for the maximum number of runs.


Clive Lloyd, who led the West Indies to triumphs in the first two World Cups, was man of the match in the first final with a hundred. But that was a team that could have won with any of its players at that time at the helm. Kapil Dev played his part for India in the 1983 triumph with a big hundred against Zimbabwe while the side was in a precarious position. His catch (of Vivian Richards) turned the final on its head.


Imran Khan was probably the shrewdest captain as he led a side that struggled throughout in 1992. He promoted himself to No. 3 at critical stages and batted long to help his team post good totals. Steve Waugh was the architect of Australia’s 1999 Cup win. However, the trend was that good sides had good players for all occasions. MS Dhoni had a formidable bunch with him in 2011 in home conditions, with Yuvraj Singh, Sachin, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Kohli coming to the fore in different matches.


Among the current lot, Eoin Morgan, probably the bookmakers’ favourite to lift the Cup on July 14, is not a key player for host England, which has Joe Root leading the side in Tests. Aaron Finch got to lead Australia last year after SteveSmith and David Warner went out of play and kept his captaincy because the duo came back only just weeks before the WC.


Sarfraz Ahmed leads a side that has traditionally done well in England, but Pakistan will not be depending on him in batting to carry its campaign forward. Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul Haq, Babar Azam and Harris Sohail are the key batsmen for it. South Africa may not be a hot contender and captain du Plessis may count it as a blessing in disguise as the Proteas invariably choked whenever it had world class teams. Jason Holder would like his batters to explode regularly, as they did against New Zealand in the warm-up match to lead the West Indies to an unlikely triumph.


Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka), Mashrafe Mortaza (Bangladesh) and Gulbadin Naib (Afghanistan) would hope their sides pull off anupset or two.


Experts said this would be all-rounders’ WC, and then they felt it would be the bowlers’. And finally if it turns out to be a captain’s WC, who else but Kohli will be smiling on the last day at the Lord’s balcony.

Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!

Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!

Click here for iOS

Click here for Android

migrator
Next Story