Crucial World Test Championship (WTC) points seemed to be slipping away for India as the Green Park puddles wouldn’t budge. Two-and-a-half days were lost to inclement weather and poor drainage, leaving both India and Bangladesh needing to produce something special to force a victory in Kanpur.
Rohit Sharma’s India was the team to do so, achieving the win with an incredible one-and-a-half sessions to spare. After the impressive Yashasvi Jaiswal hit three fours in the first over, Rohit made his intentions clear, belting his first ball for six off Khaled Mahmud after India bowled Bangladesh out for 233 on the fourth day.
It led to deserved praise for Rohit the leader in the aftermath. “When we gathered inside [the dressing room] for a small huddle, Rohit Sharma mentioned that we are going to go hammer and tongs and try and make, you know, 400 runs, probably, in 50 overs,” said R Ashwin.
“Rohit walked out and just tonked the first ball for a six. So, when you walk the talk, I think obviously the dressing room doesn’t have any other choice but to follow that same pattern. We had 50 runs out of three overs. There was no looking back after that.”
However, some of the praise I feel has gone a little overboard. “India have had many captains that have transformed the way they play, but Rohit might just be outdoing them all,” posted ESPNcricinfo, linking to an article by Alagappan Muthu stating Rohit’s legacy is above the captains before him as he is “cutting right into one of the core values of Indian cricket” and “rewiring his own generation and encouraging the next one to put the win above all else.”
Such a statement is always going to divide opinion and generate huge reach on social media. So, fair play to ESPNcricinfo on that front. However, is it right? With 18 matches under his belt as captain taking over a side that already had a very strong standing in Test cricket, is it too premature to state Rohit’s legacy stands above his predecessors?
As an Australian who is on the outside looking in, I think so.
In 2014, Virat Kohli took over an Indian team that was on its knees following MS Dhoni’s prompt retirement midway through the Australian series. They had lost three consecutive Test series in a row in South Africa (1-0), New Zealand (1-0), England (3-1), and were 2-0 down in Australia after as many matches. They had also lost eight consecutive Tests away to England and Australia in 2011/12.
The playing XI for home Tests would often consist of one pace bowler who would play as a specialist fielder. As a result, they barely fired a shot overseas. In fact, fast bowlers averaged 36.65 runs per wicket and struck every 63.9 deliveries under Dhoni’s captaincy.
Now, this isn’t an attempt to bash Dhoni in the slightest. I have the utmost respect for him as a player and consider him to be one of the finest white-ball captains the game has ever seen. His three ICC titles and countless memories with Chennai Super Kings are testament to that. However, India’s record away from home highlighted the task the next captain faced.
Rohit, on the other hand, has taken over a settled team sprinkled with incredible bowling prowess. Of course, your man-management skills and on-field tactics must be sharp to get the best out of your team, no matter the talent in the squad. Rohit is doing a fine job in that regard. However, when looking at legacies, one must always look at what the captain took over when he began and where he helped take the team to.
Kohli, after making an immediate impression as skipper in Australia in 2014/15, went on to captain 68 Tests – the most of any player from India. Out of these 68, Kohli won 40 with a win percentage of 58.82, putting him second behind Steve Waugh (71.92) and Ricky Ponting (62.33) among players who have led their team in at least 25 Tests.
“Going back to Kohli’s start of captaincy, (he) played a big role in turning the cricket around, and (Rahul) Dravid has continued the same in the recent four years. The influence of someone like that (Kohli) around a team would be great, and they’ve got star players,” Ponting said to Sky Sports earlier this year.
This is a stunning achievement when you consider where India were when Virat took over. What’s more stunning, however, is the journey towards the result. As mentioned, India’s pace bowling threat was non-existent, but Kohli drove a change in culture as well as a style of play. Instead of fast bowlers being specialist fielders at home, they began focusing more on their fitness and playing key roles even when conditions suited spin. Soon after, India were competing – and winning – away from home, with their first-ever series win in Australia in 2018/19 the fruits of the labour.
Ishant Sharma was a bowler reborn, benefitting from shifting to a fuller length. He took 121 wickets at 25.85 under Kohli. Mohammed Shami (168 wickets at 24.82) and Umesh Yadav (104 wickets at 30.68) were other beneficiaries.
But, one of the highlights of Virat’s captaincy was fast-tracking Jasprit Bumrah to the Test team when many thought it was too soon. Bumrah, who took 103 wickets at 21.55 under Virat’s captaincy, is considered the best fast bowler India have produced.
Overall, India’s fast bowlers averaged 26 under Kohli – more than 10 runs less than under Dhoni. The strike rate of 51.3 was more than 12 points better. In this period, India took 20 wickets in a Test 28 times, including 13 overseas.
Now, this is not to say Rohit can’t surpass Virat’s legacy as Test captain in the future. For me, it’s too early to say it has now. After all, we are talking about this following a 2-0 series win at home against a team they should be beating, with all due respect. When we talk about incredible attacking cricket and belief in the seemingly impossible, India’s near miss of their chase of 364 at Adelaide in 2014, where Kohli hit a sumptuous 141 off 175 balls, is the kind of attitude that was soon embedded in the Indian team.
However, missed opportunities in England and South Africa in 2018 and 2022 is a painful point for Virat and India, which Rohit can help rectify. India tour England for five Tests in 2025, which shapes up to be a thrilling series against an attacking English side. One thing is for sure – Rohit will ensure India’s standards are sky-high, driving every one of his players to express themselves.
If Rohit can help lead his team to victory there, as well as winning a five-match series in Australia, drawing comparisons with his predecessors would be far more appropriate. For now, it shouldn’t be understated or forgotten what the previous captain did for Indian cricket.
