Author: Bobji

What will Kohli’s legacy as captain be? Kohli had been the Indian captain for more than 5 years. Ever since he took over from Dhoni on that ill-fated tour of Australia in 2014, he has always shown an inclination to do things that are out of normal. He understood the effectiveness of a leg-spinner in Australia though the choice of the player wasn’t correct. He wanted to end the lengthy process that Dhoni was so fond of and wanted to see results.

His willingness to play that extra bowler instead of a 6^th specialist batsman. His willingness to always standby his players, be it the ugly racial discrimination against Abhinav Mukund or the attack on Shami. The desire to win and win away from home. The importance he gave to Test Cricket when limited overs cricket was running wild. All of these and some more defined Kohli the captain. Having announced his resignation after the humiliating series loss in South Africa, what will Kohli’s legacy as captain be?

Kohli wasn’t afraid to take tough decisions

Kohli risked everything in pursuit of test wins. That single quality defined his entire captaincy career. He wasn’t afraid to drop players like Ashwin or Pujara or Rahane though the same decision came back to bite him towards the end. His very first test as captain, albeit as a stand-in for the injured Dhoni at Adelaide where he motivated his side to win the game chasing a very stiff target. He himself played an innings that unfortunately did not result in an Indian win.

Kohli has always advocated for Test cricket to be given its prime importance. India is notorious for not playing too many Tests but it all changed under Kohli. Test cricket became the focus for both the board and the team. This is not to say that ODI and T20 did not find space but Test cricket was given priority. Players were given breaks from limited overs but against tough opponents, only the first choice players played in tests.

Two of his biggest contribution

Kohli’s two biggest contributions as captain was the importance given to fitness culture and the choice of attack. I can still remember the earlier Indian teams. In India, spinners bowled more than 70% of the overs and the batsmen were able to pile on runs that gave the bowlers ample amount of rest. However, the same wasn’t the case when India toured outside the sub-continent. The purpose of the spinner was to hold one end and help the fast bowlers being rotated. The seamers of that era were hardly able bowl more than one spell at full tilt. The depressing and disheartening tours to England and Australia are still vivid in memory. Bell, KP, Strauss and even Bresnan toyed with the Indian bowlers.

Hundreds and double hundreds were scored with elan. The Indian bowlers were hardly effective and the batsmen, after days in the field, folded quickly. The series in Australia towards the end of that year was even more humiliating. Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, who were towards the end of their career and hardly able to buy a run for a couple of seasons were suddenly scoring hundreds. As an Indian fan, we never wanted tours anywhere to the SENA countries. We were happy with teams visiting India were the Indians can spin a web around their batsmen.

The Yo-Yo test

Kohli changed that and out went laziness and sluggishness and in came the yo-yo test. Ambati Rayudu and a few others were not considered because they failed the test. It will not be an understatement to state that the fitness of the bowlers was the main reason Indians proved competitive and were able to achieve some memorable wins. Now, Indian bowlers were able to come back for 3^rd, 4^th spells and bowl with the same intensity. The opponents were always under pressure. Though the batsmen failed to post big totals, that is mainly to do with the non-performance of certain players, the bowlers more or less compensated for the inability of the batsmen.

Kohli’s record as captain

Tests: 66, Won: 39, Lost: 16, Draw: 11, Wins Home: 24, Wins Away: 15

ODI: 95, Won: 65, Lost: 27, NR/Tied: 3

T20: 50, Won: 30, Lost: 16, Tie/NR: 4

These statistics are impressive by any standards. I have seen the likes of Azharuddin, Kapil Dev, Gavaskar, Ganguly & Dhoni. Never in my wildest dream did I imagine that an Indian captain can win 40 tests. There was a period when Azharuddin’s 14 wins was considered extraordinary but not anymore. Kohli has set a new standard. It will be hard for his replacement to match that stellar record.

However, was it all rosy for India under Kohli? Was his captaincy absolutely without any blemish? Scratch the surface, the picture will reveal a different story.

The other side of his legacy

Kohli has had some fabulous success in bi-lateral white ball series. The 6-1 win in South Africa in ODIs, the 5-0 win in New Zealand in T20s are some of the highlights but what about Tests?

Yes, Kohli has won 40 tests. That is mindboggling for an Indian captain. Having said that, 24 wins were in India. I do agree that Test wins are tough but India had long become an unstoppable force in India. Even the best of Australia or South Africa had only one series win. Most of the time, it was complete whitewash. 16 Test wins outside the country which includes wins in Sri Lanka and West Indies who have long stopped being competitive.

The countries that matter

Kohli had never won a series in countries that matter. SENA. The 2018 win in Australia does not really count because not only it was against a Warner-less and Smith-less Australia but it was achieved when Australia were at their lowest point. They lacked confidence and they just went through the motions. The 2021 win was achieved by Rahane. The only test Kohli captained in that series, India were humiliated. He also led the side in England, New Zealand and South Africa twice but wasn’t able to taste the sweetness of success in any of them though the latest series in England is led by India.

Ofcourse, he has won a couple of series in West Indies and in Sri Lanka but those wins pale into insignificance when measured against the bigger series. A team is either feted or forgotten based on the success of series wins in countries that matter. Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting have not won a series in India (Gilchrist was the captain when Australia won in the early part of the millennium) but they succeeded in conquering the rest of the world. Graeme Smith has won a series in every country where he has captain except India. Not winning even a series in one country that matter is alright but not winning even one series in all the countries that matter will not be viewed kindly.

The ICC tournaments

The ICC tournaments is another that compounds his legacy. He has had 5 shots at ICC tournaments but did not manage to win a single trophy. This includes the WTC finals too.. Bi-lateral wins have long ceased to be considered important. The problem is further accentuated when Kohli failed to impose himself on those games. He failed with the bat during those important games.

Added to this is the fact the Kohli led RCB for 8 years and did not win a single IPL trophy. IPL cannot be considered to be on par with international cricket but not to win a single trophy is not ideal. Rohit Sharma has 3, Dhoni has 4, I mean people who have captained for a longtime, have trophies to show for but not Kohli.

The final straw was the T20 World Cup in 2021 that told the BCCI that enough is enough and it is time for a change.

Conclusion to what will Kohli’s legacy as captain be?

Kohli’s legacy as a captain is a mixed bag. He will always be remembered for increasing the fitness level of the Indian players, for promoting fast bowling as the main form of attack and for defending his players but at the same level, he will also be remembered for not winning a single test series in top countries and has not won a single ICC trophy despite an extremely long rope.

Before you proceed with Kohli Rahul and Ashwin must be banned, read the previous blogs related to the South African tour here and here.

Utter nonsense

If the series humiliation wasn’t enough, certain Indian players were involved in an outrageous and most stupid behaviour on the field. For long I have written that Kohli’s on-field behaviour has become a nuisance. His over the top celebration, the verbal altercation that he constantly has with the opponents and towards the spectators, the rather belligerent and brash manner on the field.

Any child who is watching such sort of on-field nonsense is bound to be influenced by the actions of their hero. Kohli is aged enough and matured enough to understand that he has a moral right towards the wider audience and as such his actions, either good or bad is bound to be replicated by the children. No wonder the behaviour standards at the school matches level has gone down drastically. I want to reiterate that Kohli, Rahul and Ashwin must be banned

Kohli blurted, “Focus on your team as well when they shine the ball eh, not just the opposition. Trying to catch people all the time.”

R Ashwin exclaimed, “You should find better ways to win, SuperSport.”

Rahul charged “It’s the whole country against 11 guys.”

Back in the school days, the boy who owns both the bat and the ball must never get out. If he does, that will be the end of the day because he will take them and go home. I was reminded of such schoolboy behaviour when I read these statements from 3 of the seniors in the squad.

Kohli failed to remain calm under pressure

It was clear that they were feeling the pressure. Kohli could sense that his team was about to suffer a humiliating defeat against an inexperienced South African team. He set out to make history but now he is in danger of not winning a single meaningful series. After losing the limited overs captaincy, after having lost the World T20 and exiting in the group stage itself, after having not won a single ICC tournament in 5 attempts, Kohli clearly felt the pressure of saving his legacy as captain.

However, he fell woefully short. All of these snowballed and eventually he blurted those words. He probably knew what he was doing and I am not prepared to sweep it under the carpet by convincing myself that it was because of the heat of the moment. Being the captain and that too an experienced one, he must have conducted himself better than that. He must have calmed the situation down. If the team members were angry and frustrated because the DRS went against the team, Kohli must have spoken words of encouragement to his players and must have egged them onto bowl better and win the game. Instead, his frustration and his own inability took over.

Ashwin and Rahul too experienced lot of pressure. Ashwin because till then in the series, he hasn’t had any meaningful contribution. He played in the series only because Jadeja was unavailable. Ashwin was desperate the make this chance count and he blew it. The 2^nd innings at Cape Town was his very last chance and he was unable to make it count.

Rahul is thought to be the potential captain. However, he didn’t have the best possible start to his captaincy having lost the 2^nd test at Johannesburg and his captaincy calibre being questioned.

Gilchrist gave a scathing comment

“Look, it is an interesting one, I am not sure that should be happening from a captain of an international team. But sometimes frustration overflows, you just get so frustrated and that’s why I said I wonder if that has happened three or four times through the series, and that was like okay that is enough now we can’t have it anymore,” he added.

Gambhir was equally scathing in his comment

“This is really bad,” he said. “What Kohli did: going near the stump mic and reacting in that manner that is really immature. This is not what you expect from an international captain; from an Indian captain.”

All the three players have brought the game into disrepute. There is absolutely no other way of looking at the matter on hand. It was plain and clear for all to see. The Indian players did not conduct themselves in the manner that is appropriate for a player who is representing the team at the highest level. All these players were levelling charges on the broadcaster that they are actually cheating. None of them had any proof.

The broadcaster replied “SuperSport notes comments made by certain members of the Indian cricket team. Hawk-Eye is an independent service provider, approved by the ICC and their technology has been accepted for many years as an integral part of DRS,” the broadcaster said in a statement, as per AFP.

Rajkumar Sharma, Kohli’s childhood coach has said

“Virat Kohli has taken the decision to relinquish the Test captaincy after a lot of thinking. He wants to enjoy his game and move on from here. He does not want to be in any controversy or indulge in any politics.”

This is utter nonsense. Controversy is Kohli’s middle name. This statement by Rajkumar makes one wonder whether he knew Kohli at all. Ever since Kohli became the captain, he has been involved in one controversy or the other. Just because he was never fined or banned does not mean that he is not controversial.

ICC is a spineless and incompetent body

The ICC as we all know is a spineless, toothless and incompetent body. They have cautioned the Indian players regarding the conduct. What nonsense was that? I want to see strict punishment meted out to all the 3 players. Do not fine them. It will not have any impact. Afterall, they have earned enough. Ban them from playing the game but not in terms of time but in terms of actual games. Kohli being the captain and the one who must have been an example for all to follow, must be banned for 10 tests, 15 ODIs and 15 T20s. Rahul the potential captain must be banned for 5 tests, 10 ODIs and 10 T20s. Ashwin must be banned for 5 tests and if he is considered for the limited overs squad, 10 ODIs and 5 T20s.  

On the one hand, we have an Australian board who have barred Tim Paine from playing for Australia despite the fact that what Paine did was something outside the game itself. Whereas on the otherhand, we have 3 Indian players whose behaviour, on the field, was atrocious and downright stupid but the ICC have warned the players. This is utter nonsense.

ICC will not act because they are obviously scared about offending the BCCI and Kohli but the BCCI must act. They must ban these players and a lesson must be taught.

India have become the ugliest team

The boorish behaviour of the Indians have got out of hand. They are now perhaps the ugliest team to play the game. In the garb of aggression, they have become a bully and a much disliked team across the world. The Indian team may have even surpassed the worst of the Australian outfit. We have an Australian team led by Pat Cummins who does not want his players to waste vital energy in abusing and being aggressive towards their opponents and we have an Indian team which has become sore losers.

Perhaps things will change once Kohli resigns which he has. I want to see an Indian team that is aggressive and tough but in the right sense of those words.

Before you proceed to read trust in senior citizens, read part one here.

Trust in over the hill senior citizens

Rahane and Pujara. I have said and written enough about these over the hill, past their sell by date players. They have again proved what a waste of space. They hardly had a clue where the ball was. Atleast Pujara played decent amount of deliveries but Rahane did not even bother. When Rahane walks into the ground, the wickets column on the scoreboard slowly changes to India 4 down already because it was inevitable. The only question was whether he will be out of the first ball or the 12^th ball. Pujara as usual stood at the crease but failed to score runs. However, I will again blame Kohli and Dravid for Purane’s failure. Both of them had given enough reasons for them to be dropped. If they are still picked ahead of deserving candidates like Vihari, Gill and Iyer, the fault lies with the captain and the coach.

The Indian batting coach, Vikram Rathour,

“As far as Pujara and Rahane are concerned, they are trying their best, they are giving their best. Rahane was in really good touch but unfortunately, he got out, so has Pujara. We need to be patient as long as they are trying their best, giving their best as coaching unit we are fine.”

I really cannot tell whether Rathour knows the meaning of being patient. You can be patient for a couple of years but not for 5-6 years as in Rahane’s case. It is like failures does not matter. It does not come with a burden of being dropped. Pujara and Rahane never felt the pressure to score runs because the team management seems to have placed them in a cocoon. They had become immune to the outside noise.

The form of these old gentlemen plus the unknown of Mayank Agarwal’s ability to cope with steep bounce was one more reason to ditch the 5 bowler theory. How did Kohli put his trust on a batting lineup whose combined ability to score more than 300 consistently is beyond every connoisseur’s mind. Common sense and wisdom will dictate to play the extra batsman when you are not sure whether the top 5 will score runs but Kohli’s ego got in the way. He will have none of it. He must have thought that he is such a genius that whatever he wishes will come true.

The Ashwin conundrum

Much was expected of Ashwin. In Jadeja’s absence, Ashwin was expected to force the door down and make it impossible to drop him outside of India. He was anticipated to make it difficult for Jadeja to reclaim his spot. He was more than expected to retain the spinning allrounder spot to himself. Alas, it wasn’t to be. Instead, he has given the spot in a platter back to Jadeja. After he was expelled from all the games in England, if one had thought that Ashwin will definitely prove to the doubters that it is him and him only who has the right to a spot in the team, Ashwin had called their bluff. Not only did he not have any role to play with the ball, he hardly contributed with the bat except for a brief 46 at Johannesburg.

When the series was in the balance and for once when Pant was playing sensibly, Ashwin goes after a wide one and promptly gets out. A gutsy and bloody rearguard at that stage and with Pant batting particularly well, the target could have been in the realms of 325. Ashwin is known to analyse a lot of things diligently. Did he fail to analyse that in the absence of any significant impact with the ball, playing the last innings of the series, a substantial contribution with the bat would not only have helped India win the test and thereby the series but it would have meant all the talks of Ashwin being a sub-continent specialist could have been put to rest?

It was again Kohli’s fault

Again, I will fault Kohli. It was clear that Ashwin is not going to bowl too many overs to have an impact with the ball. It was also clear that his batting wasn’t good enough for those bouncy pitches. What nonsense prompted him to play Ashwin as an allrounder?

After his marathon interview to www.espncricinfo.com, in which Ashwin blamed virtually everything and everyone under the Sun except himself for his failures, he has actually vindicated Manjrekar’s comments about him of not being a force outside of India. He mocked Manjrekar at that time but now he must feel stupid. I really doubt whether Ashwin will ever get such an opportunity to correct his mistakes. He is 34. With his lack of fitness and India not expected to tour again for another couple of years, it is highly likely that Ashwin may even retire before the next away leg. He may never have a 5-fer in the SENA countries.

I sincerely wish that he does not overtake Kumble as the highest Indian wicket taker because Kumble was much better as a bowler and as a person.

Indian bowlers are good but not great

The inability of the Indian bowlers to defend low scores in another area of concern. India possess a good, I am not calling them great, bowling attack with Bumrah leading from the front. However, the repeated incapability to defend is something that must be addressed. Twice against South Africa, the WTC final, there was one test in New Zealand and a host of games stands as proof. They were not even able to run the opposition close. In all the instances it was a comfortable victory for the opposition.

Bumrah, for all his brilliance is failing to run through the opposition repeatedly. He has played 27 tests and more than 97% of those games under conditions favourable to the seamer and yet, he hasn’t taken a single 10-fer. Though he picked up 12 wickets, it cost 23 runs per wicket when the South African bowlers took their in less than 20. Shami too did not make much inroads. It fell on the much maligned Shardul Thakur to average less than 20. All the major South African bowlers struck at less than 20. Therein lies a major problem.

Dravid and the support staff has equal share of the blame

I have harped enough about Kohli but that doesn’t mean the management team of Dravid, Rathour, Mhambrey and the galaxy of support staff can escape blame. Especially Dravid. When Dravid took over, he was hailed as a messiah. He was thought of someone who will take the team to the next level. He was portrayed as someone who could take the tough decisions. However, Dravid failed spectacularly. He has brought the team right to where they were when he was playing. Not dropping either or both of Rahane and Pujara, playing with 5 specialist batsmen, no role for Ashwin, inability of the bowlers to defend scores or the batsmen to post substantial scores, all of these are very much Dravid’s failure as that of Kohli’s.

He must have put his foot down and must have effected the changes. Instead his choose to sit idle and do nothing. This came as a rude shock. Was he afraid that if he goes against Kohli his job may not be secure? I do not think Dravid cares about that because he is too proud to toe anyone’s line. He is much more interested in the success of the team. So why then did Dravid not do anything? I guess only Dravid will have an answer for this.

Please proceed to read volume 3 of my rant.

India deserve to lose the series. There is no doubt about that. They did not prepare well, they were complacent, stubborn and above all, the BCCI did not really care. They were poorly led and in this, the management team that comprises of Dravid cannot escape the blame. India were humiliated by a team who hardly played over the previous 5 months and with a bunch of players who weren’t that experienced. Being an Indian, it is horrible to think that a golden chance to win a series in South Africa for the first time ever was missed. That was mainly because a group of senior players failed to raise their game when it mattered. The reason for the loss was multiple. Stubborn and inflexible captain, senior liabilities, poor toss decision, stupid team selection amongst other factors. Let me devour each of these.

Egoistic, stubborn and inflexible captain

Virat Kohli will be known for the foreseeable future as the most successful Indian captain. 60 wins at 58% win-loss ratio is impressive by any standards. Only Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting have higher percentage of wins and they captained the all conquering Australian sides. Any captain who has led that Australian team will obviously have a successful track record. However, this series was lost because of Kohli and his brand of captaincy.

The pitches were expected to carry lot of bounce

First of all, whenever an Asian team tours South Africa, the pitches will come to life. They will be loaded in favour of the home team’s fast bowlers. Not that the pitches will not help the seamers when Australia or England or New Zealand tours but the pitches will be extra spicy for the Asian teams. More so, for India. It is a known thing and there is nothing wrong with that. All the team world over lay down tracks that may or may not help the home team but will be difficult for the opposition. Same happens in India, England or Australia.

The pitches in this series wasn’t any different either. It was never going to be a 450 against 450 pitch. Scores in the region of 300-325 will be match winning. With the ball bouncing and moving throughout the day, wickets will fall in a heap. This was all expected. Bowlers will not bowl more than 150 overs over the entire two innings. This essentially means that they will never be over-bowled. The seamers that India have are more than capable of exploiting the conditions on offer. However, they need runs on the board. This is where Kohli failed as the captain.

Jadeja’s absence created a catch-22 situation

In the absence of Jadeja, he was handicapped on the 6^th batsman and the 5^th bowler front. Kohli did not have a choice but to pick Ashwin in the team. This was perfectly understandable in the first test. India were playing with 5 bowlers for awhile now that it made sense to start with 5 bowlers at Centurion. Except for the first innings, the scores never touched 300 for either team. It was clear for anyone that the help on offer for the quicker bowlers was immense. Ashwin hardly had a role to play at Centurion. Infact, he had sent down 22 overs across two innings for a partly return of a couple of wickets. This was exceptionally less by any standards.

Spinners are usually required to bowl around 25-30 overs per innings but because of the help on offer to the seamers, the South African innings did not last long enough for a spinner to bowl a lot of overs. As a result, Ashwin was under-bowled and his batting outside India is always suspect. He will hit the odd crisp and beautiful looking 4 through the covers but will give away his wicket. It was only a question of when. Whether he did not give much importance to his batting or whether his ability with the bat is limited is debatable.

Poor decision to go in with just 5 suspect batsmen

The Indian 2^nd innings at Centurion clearly showed that the South African bowlers were wayward in the first innings and as soon as they hit their straps, India folded for a paltry score in the 2^nd innings. It must have been clear to Kohli at that stage that a spinner will not have a role to play in the whole series. He must have immediately changed the strategy to four seamers and no spinner but as it transpired, Kohli didn’t. India went ahead in the next couple of tests with the same combination and were thoroughly decimated. This was down to pure ego on the part of Kohli.

He had his game plan based on 5 bowlers and he stuck to that without realising or not wanting to realise that there simply isn’t room for a 5^th bowler. Across the 3 games, Ashwin bowled only 64 overs. That is hardly the workload of a spinner. Neither Kohli nor Rahul trusted Ashwin’s bowling. So why on earth did he even play? Hanuma Vihari, who can turn his arm over for a few overs to give the seamers rest must have played ahead of Ashwin as the 6^th batsman but Kohli will have none of it.

Kohli must have analysed

He seems to think that all those wins in 2021 was because there were 5 bowlers and because of that, it does not matter what the conditions are, he will still play the 5^th bowler. If only Kohli had scratched the surface he would have realised that the wins at Gabba, Lord’s, Centurion were not because of the team played with 5 bowlers. Lord’s because of some extraordinary hitting by Shami and Bumrah without which England would have knocked off the runs quite easily. Gabba because of a batsman in Sundar who is certainly better than Ashwin and Jadeja in terms of ability with the bat. Centurion because South Africa weren’t ready for the series. Kohli’s ego and inflexible attitude clearly overshadowed everything. If only Kohli had swallowed a bit of his ego, things would have panned out differently.

I really wonder how this team would have fared against the past South African team. I really shudder to think about the outcome. It would have been a whitewash along epic lines. Not much different from the 2011 tours. The fact that it wasn’t was because of South Africa’s own inexperience.

Please proceed to read volume 2 of my rant.

Kohli likes to play with 5 bowlers. We know that pretty well. Infact, he is obsessed with the 5 bowlers, 5 batters and a keeper theory. It is something that has brought quite a few successes for Kohli and the team. At the sametime, it is this inflexible approach that also proves detrimental to the cause on hand. India has an excellent opportunity to win their first ever series in South Africa. South Africa are inexperienced and they do not have the same class of teams under Smith or even Faf. However, Kohli’s ego is costing India. Let me explain.

It is all well and good to play with 5 specialist batsmen plus the keeper and an allrounder when the conditions warrant such an approach. However, does it really make sense to play with 5 batsmen when 4.5 of them are not scoring runs? Does it even make sense to play with someone like Rahane who contributes once every 50 innings? Is a 5^th bowler even required on South African pitches?

So far in this series, Ashwin has limited to no role to play. Either with the bat or the ball. He scored an important 46 at Johannesburg but apart from that, he has nothing else to show far. With the ball, where he is expected to create maximum impact, he hasn’t really set things on fire. He bowled 21 overs at Centurion for a modest return of 2 wickets right towards the end of the game and at Jo’burg, he wasn’t required to bowl too many overs anyway.

Kohli has made series of mistakes in this game.

Mistake number one

The South African pitches are such that they favour the faster bowlers greatly. This is especially true when teams from the sub-continent visit that country because of their inability to deal with the bouncing ball. The pitches in this series is no different. All of them are loaded heavily in favour of the bowlers. So much so that the ball bounces from awkward angles. Indian bowlers have only bowled 150 and 120 overs in the first and second tests and that too over 4 innings. This is hardly a workload. I do agree that the gap between the tests is too short but 270 overs in 15 days is not that high. Under such circumstances, it is only logical that the batting is strengthened but Kohli did not do that because it must have hurt his ego. He went ahead and played with 5 bowlers.

Mistake number two

It really is unfathomable that Kohli has won a couple of tosses in this series. He is not known for that. What he did after winning the toss was wrong. He has seen what happened in the previous test. The pitch sort of settled down nicely during the 4^th innings and the help to the bowlers on the first day was extravagant. He must have opted to bowl to give the team the early advantage and especially considering the mugs in the top 5. He instead gave first use of the pitch to the South African bowlers and they exploited it perfectly. Kohli should have learnt a lesson after the second test but he failed to do so. If not for South Africa’s wayward bowling on the first day of the first test, they would have already won the series.

Mistake number three

What on earth does Pujara and Rahane needs to do to get dropped? This is a question that must have perplexed even those two players. Here are two batsmen who have been consistently inconsistent over the last several years. Particularly, Rahane. Once in 20 innings he scores a 50 and stays in the team whereas other deserving candidates like Vihari is sidelined. I can understand if Kohli wanted experience of playing in South Africa as a selection criteria but why would he need 2 experienced but undeserving players is beyond me. More precisely, why was Vihari dropped? He played much better than these grand oldies at Jo’burg. Even Nikhil Chopra is furious,

“I believe Hanuma Vihari should have been included. It is wise to make at least one of the two changes if you don’t want to introduce two major changes at once. They did score half-centuries in the previous game, but would you still bench a youngster because of that? Any batter would score runs if he was given so many chances.”

I have complained enough about Rahane. A lot of former players have but nothing seems to have an effect on the selection. Kohli does what he wants to do. His ego does not allow him to listen to outside voices. He has his mind set on 5 batsmen and he will not alter that because to do that, he must temper his ego which he does not want to.

Mistake number four

Rishabh Pant. The whole country will be indebted to him for that fabulous innings at the Gabba but Pant seems to be milking that for way too long. After the outlandish shot he played in the previous test, he must have been dropped as a punishment. He wasn’t. What happened behind the scene, no one except for the players will be aware of. Was he reprimanded? I do not know. The Indian fans didn’t see punishment meted out to him in the way that is visible for everyone. In this game, he must have been sent after Ashwin and Shardul. He deserves such public humiliation.

Conclusion to Kohli’s ego is costing India

Not just Kohli, even Rahul Dravid deserved to be blamed. He must have put his foot down and must have told Kohli that we will go in with 6 batsmen with Kohli replacing Ashwin and Iyer or Gill replacing one of Pujara or Rahane. Preferably Rahane whose returns are far worse compared to Pujara. The fact that he didn’t do that raises question mark against his capability to take tough decision. He needs to remember that the 8CR that he is being paid every year must come with some accountability.

The pitch called for 6 specialist batsmen but India chose to go in with just 1 proper batsman with all the 8 put together.

Kohli will do well to remember that his legacy will lay tarnished if he fails to win this series. Afterall, he hasn’t won one series in the SENA countries despite multiple opportunities. The 2018 win in Australia does not really count and the 2020 Australian win was achieved by Rahane.

In the end, it proved to be a comprehensive victory for the visitors. This was not entire unexpected. South Africa are not the same force they once were during the early part of this millennium. It is not easy to replace players of the quality of Smith, Amla, Kallis, de Villiers, Steyn & Morkel. India were always expected to win. What was unexpected was the fightback South Africa showed after day one. Nonetheless, India breaks down one more fortress.

Good year in test cricket for India

India started the year with a fabulous back to the wall innings from Ashwin and Vihari to draw the Sydney test. This itself was a creditable achievement because of the lack of personnel with which India played that test. They topped that effort with an extraordinary win at the Gabba. This was the first fortress that was broken. It was incredible performance by all means. A bowling attack who had not played more than 10 tests combined against the might of the Australian bowling attack. By any yardstick, this was a superb achievement.

India followed that with a stupendous bowling effort on the last day at Lords. However, the best performance of that series was reserved for The Oval. On a wicket that hardly did anything, India forced a result and broke another fortress.

Now it is the turn of South African fortress, Centurion to be broken and India did that in style. It was an excellent performance. Perhaps, South Africa lack experience but India can only play the team that they are faced with. In this case, South Africa featured their best eleven in the park. Moreover, they were playing at their home which itself must give them confidence. Considering all of the above, a fortress was really broken.

It is not all glory however

However, it was not all great for India. They found themselves at 272 for 3 at the end of day one and were only able to add another 55 runs on day 3. Rahul played an innings of high quality and was ably supported by Agarwal. The hundred partnership between these two proved to be the difference between the teams in the final analysis.

The continued failure of the middle order to post any decent score is a cause for concern. Pujara who has forgotten how to score runs, is still persisted with. Here he failed in both the innings. Recently, someone had posted in Twitter Pujara’s average since 2019. 26 against Mitchell Starc’s 30. It is clear that Pujara is not really capable of scoring runs any longer. He is past his sell by date and so is Rahane. Rahane scored a polished 48 in the first innings but was able to go onto a bigger score.

His failures are too many that a middling score of 48 must not save his spot. There are others waiting in the wings. Shreyas Iyer, Vihari, Gill and once Rohit returns, Mayank too. It is time for Indian cricket to thank both Pujara and Rahane for their services and let them go. The immediate need is for Dravid to speak to both of them and tell them in no uncertain terms that their time is up and it will be better if both of them announce their retirements right after the second test.

Ashwin too disappointed

Ashwin had blamed everyone and everything under the Sun bar himself in a recent interview with Espncricinfo for his failures outside of favourable environs. Yet, when given a chance, not only did he not last beyond a full over in the first innings, he sent down 21 fruitless overs without taking a single wicket. I am sure Ashwin will find a reason for this failure too. What is the point of a bowler whose variations even the opponent’s number 11 picks up quite easily?

Ashwin did pick up couple of wickets towards the end of the game but by then, the game was already sealed. If not Ashwin, the fast bowlers at the other end would have taken those couple of wickets.

Hopefully, Ashwin will now understand why Jadeja was preferred and not him. Kohli wanted a solid option at number 6 who can bowl to give the quicks some rest.

Ashwin must realise that this series is his best opportunity to ensure that he will be the number one choice when it comes to offshore games.

The brilliant bowlers

If not for the bowlers, India with their 1.5 batsmen would not have been able to achieve the results that they have in 2021. Bumrah, Shami, Siraj and to a lesser extent, Ishant, Umesh and Shardul were quite effective in a 5 man bowling attack. Bumrah spells at Lords, The Oval and Centurion were stuff of legend. Shami’s accuracy and making the batsmen play all the while is something teams will envy. Siraj’s wickets at The Lords will not be forgotten quickly. Gone are the days when Indians will stay up to watch their batsmen play against some of the best bowlers. Now, the Indians switch on the TV sets to watch the bowlers involved in brilliant spell after brilliant spell.

Indians must remember that the past South African sides would have made a mincemeat of this Indian team. With such a short batting lineup that includes the underperforming middle order plus a Pant whose mood swings are difficult to gauge, Indians would have been hard pressed to pull one over the previous South African teams.

Conclusion to India breaks down one more fortress

Yes it was a fabulous performance but from the bowlers, Rahul and Mayank. The faultlines within the team is running deep. The lack of contribution from the middle order is startling. It has gone on for more than 3 years. Rohit before and Rahul now alongwith the bowlers have saved the day for the team. Kohli is unable to drop either Rahane or Pujara because his own returns are less compared to them over the last 3 years. This is where Dravid will have to come into the picture. He must drop either Rahane or Pujara or both of them. He must take the decision away from Kohli.

India surrendered their own fortress away from India. Yes, Johannesburg is Indian fortress in South Africa. India have never lost a test on that ground ever since South Africa were readmitted in 1991. It is hard to believe but it is true. The uneven bounce seems to have suited India quite nicely over the years. Laxman’s and Sreesanth’s special efforts on this very ground comes to mind. However, in the latest episode, somehow the fight was missing. Why and where did India lose?

The game was lost on the first day

202. That is the first innings score. You do not win too many games if your first innings score is just above 200. India lost the game right on the first day. They were easily 100 runs short of par score. Yes, South African bowlers were good and they bowled in the right areas. However, when a team wins the toss and bats, it is expected that they have understood the conditions and are prepared. Not only were they unprepared but they were clueless. Rahul played a Pujara innings. I have said this often and I will repeat it again. Rahul, when he opens the innings, be that in any format, is unable to decide between attack and defence. He gets too bogged down and as a result gives early advantage to the opponent.

The bowlers settle down rather comfortably and are able to dictate terms. Rahul has scored a couple of hundreds in the last 7 tests opening the innings but I think he needs to be much more consistent and much more assertive while opening. I do agree that opening is a tough job and that on a pitch with variable bounce, it is even more challenging. However, the plain fact of the game is that it is runs and wickets that determines the winner. This team cannot afford to have 3 batsmen of similar nature. Rahul, Pujara and Vihari.

Pujara’s and Rahane’s continued failures

The grand oldies of Indian cricket, Pujara and Rahane. I really do not know what else do they have to do to get dropped. Their failures have become laughable. In a team that plays with 5 batsmen and a couple of allrounders, the continued failure of these oldies is hurting the team beyond measure. They scored 50s in the second innings when their chances of survival depended very much on that innings. It clearly shows how they have taken their spots in the team for granted. The point is if either or both of them will score only if a sword is hanging over their heads all the time, it will be prudent to let that sword hang over their heads forever. One failure, you are out of the team. With youngsters waiting in the wings, it is time these old men shapes up or ships out.

Pant’s atrocious shot

What was that Pant? Such a horrible and atrocious shot. Pant seems to think that he is a genius and that the bowlers are all stupid. The game was very much in the balance when Pant walked in. Vihari at the other end was batting reasonably well. If only Pant had put his head down and constructed a 70-80 partnership with Vihari, the target would have been in excess of 300. The shot was downright irresponsible, arrogant and over confident. No nonsense of that is how he bats must be applied. I will even say that Pant because of his carelessness, handed over the game to South Africa on a platter.

For the next game, I do not expect Pant to be dropped. However, I expect him to be punished. He must be send it after Ashwin, Shardul and Shami. If he is going to be irresponsible, let him be irresponsible with the tail. Atleast there will be some justification.

Rahul Dravid has promised to discuss with Pant. I hope it will be a reprimand.

“We know Rishabh plays positively and he plays in a particular manner and that has got him a little bit of success,” Dravid said in his post-match press conference. “But yeah, of course there are times when we’re going to have some level of conversations with him around, just a little bit of maybe just selection of the time to play that [shot].

One bowler too many

Hindsight shows that India must have gone with an extra batsman. Ashwin hardly had a role to play with the ball. However, it was known that Jo’burg does not have any sort of support for spinners. So, perhaps, another batsman inplace of Ashwin or Siraj would have been better. As for Bumrah, his lack of effectiveness in the 4^th innings was telling. For some reason, he has never run through an opposition. He provides crucial breakthroughs but does not proceed beyond that. Hopefully, his luck will change in the future games. Mind you, Bumrah has been protected extremely well by the team management and the board. He never had to do the hard yards on the tough Indian wickets.

What must happen in the next test?

The average first innings score at Cape Town over the last 3 years is just below 300. This essentially means that it will be another fast bowler’s pitch. India must go in with an extra batsman. Kohli is expected to return. It may not add anything to India’s batting considering his form over the last 3 years but the team will be galvanised because of his presence. Fifties from Rahane and Pujara must not in anyway save them from the axe.

Their failures were far too many for just a single innings to save them. One or both must be dropped. If it is going to be just one, I would prefer Pujara in the team. He has got slightly more to contribute than Rahane. I do not see a spot for Ashwin because I do not see any role for him with the ball. Umesh must replace the injured Siraj.

By the way, I cannot believe how an absolute mug with the bat Siraj is. In this day and age, when bowlers pride themselves on their ability to bat, here is Siraj who is actually scared of the leather ball. It is ungainly to see him move to the square leg for every delivery. If he intends to play for the team for a longtime, he will do well to improve his batting. He must develop the habit of sticking in the wicket, especially, if a specialist batsman is at the other end.

Vihari must be retained

Hanuma Vihari did enough in the game to be retained. With a bit of support from Pant and the tailenders, he could have pushed India towards a healthy lead. Kohli can replace Pujara or Rahane or if a 6^th batsman is chosen, Ashwin. I would personally like to see Kohli replace Rahane.

Conclusion to Why and where did India lose?

India has a great opportunity to win their first series. They must not stuff it up.