The captaincy tussle in Indian cricket between former skipper Virat Kohli and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has created a huge controversy in recent times. The matter became worse after Kohli decided to step down as the Test team skipper of Indian team just a day after India’s 2-1 Test series defeat against South Africa.
While talking about Kohli’s leadership, former Australian skipper Ian Chappell wrote that undoubtedly “Kohli was an exception as captain.”
Chappell writes
"There's no doubt Kohli was an exception as captain; he didn't curb his enthusiasm but he was still able to lead the Indian team to a higher level. With the capable assistance of vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, he lifted India to overseas success like no other captain had done," Chappell wrote in his column for ESPN Cricinfo.
“Kohli took the legacy of Sourav Ganguly and Dhoni and substantially built on it in seven years at the helm. His biggest disappointment as captain was the recent series loss to South Africa after India led the away series 1-0, though he didn't captain in the middle Test of that series, in Cape Town," he added.
On the other hand, England Test skipper Joe Root had to face an utter humiliation after his side has to suffer a painful 4-0 defeat in the recently concluded Ashes Test series. Regarding Root’s captaincy, Chappell feels that “Root is a fine batter but a poor captain.”
"The captaincy failure, despite having led his country more times than any other captain, is Joe Root. It doesn't matter what Root or any other English devotee tells you, Root is a fine batter but a poor captain.
"A good captain has to take charge and this was an area where Root failed dismally. There's no doubt his last tour was badly hampered by player injuries and he was poorly treated by fate.”
Questionable decisions
Chappell feels that some decisions taken by Kohli “were a little questionable” but he admitted that the Delhi-born batter’s decision to support wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has been a “master stroke.”
"One of Kohli's great achievements was instilling in his team a craving for Test cricket. Despite his all-encompassing success, Kohli's major aim was to achieve victory in the Test arena and this is where his passion really shone."
“Kohli has a number of individual achievements in his resumé, none bigger than the development of Rishabh Pant as a wicketkeeper and batter. Kohli tended to get his way when it came to selection and some of his decisions in this area were a little questionable but there's no doubting his support of Pant was a master stroke," wrote the 78-year-old former cricketer.
