It has been a year of extremes for Virat Kohli as captain. From leading India to four back-to-back Test series wins, to ending up with the wooden spoon while leading Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, the trajectory has seen a dramatic course deviation.
As he sets about leading India’s defence of their Champions Trophy title in England, it will be on the back of a frustrating spell that has not only laid bare weaknesses in his captaincy, but also his batting.
That he travels to England, immediately after the series, cannot be a happy coincidence. It is the one destination where he has struggled to get his bat to do the talking.
The last time he was in England, it was 2014. It was a series to forget. He averaged just 13.40 in Tests, scoring 134 runs in 10 innings without a single 50-plus score. He scored 54 runs in the four ODIs he played. He was a man in form in the lead up to the series. Unfortunately, it did not translate into runs. He now returns to England on back of an equally frustrating spell stretching back to the Test series against Australia – a stark contrast to his flawless form in 2016.
He had entered the IPL after recovering from a shoulder injury picked up during India’s series against Australia. It was not the smoothest of comebacks, and the 28-year-old could hardly match his performance from the 2016 IPL season, that had seen him average over 80. This time around, he scored just 308 runs in the ten games that he played. RCB managed to win just thrice in the 14 games, just twice in 11 games where Kohli was leading.
Kohli has not been his usual self with the bat since the series against Australia, where he scored just 46 runs from five innings he played in three games. However, for a champion batsman like Kohli, a trip to England comes perhaps at the right time. It will be a massive test for him, and one that is just the kind Kohli thrives on. The conditions will prove a hurdle, and Kohli will want to undo some of the demons from the past.
He, however, does not want to treat the tournament as one of redemption.
“When players do well in India, there is no real hype around them. But, if we do not do well overseas it’s like a knife hanging over your head,” Kohli said in Mumbai during India’s pre-departure press conference for the Champions Trophy.
“I would never play for redemption. The only motivation is to play well for your country. It does not matter where you play, the aim is to win matches. People might say it is a question of life and death or redemption but it’s not the case for me, it’s just like any other tournament,” he said.
Indian cricket fans and Kohli’s teammates alike will be keen on the captain to get his groove back. He is the team’s leading light. Him being in the right mind-frame will be key for India’s title defence. A few fine knocks could give the team the required fillip considering the high-profile contests, including India’s clash against Pakistan, lined up for them in England.
The wound of the IPL is obviously yet to heal. Getting past the mental block will be high on his mind.
“For the kind of season we (RCB) had, it teaches you a lot about yourself as a person at quite a few levels,” Kohli said.
“From a mindset point of view it made me realise that you cannot do everything in every game. Sometimes as a human being you need to realise your limitations and take a few steps backwards. May be it was to teach me to balance things out, to think about how much you can do on the field and how much intensity with which you can play.”
“As I keep getting older those things are important and you need to avoid burnout too quickly. Those were the biggest learnings for me. I was pretty fortunate that I got to experience such a time. It teaches you a lot as captain, it teaches you a lot composure-wise. You take a lot away from failures which is what I have always cherished,” Kohli said.
But, it will be easier said than done. The conditions in England will be far removed from what the Indian team has become accustomed to over the past season, that saw them play extensively at home with as many as 13 Tests.
Kohli admitted that every player will have to hit the ground running in a highly competitive tournament like the Champions Trophy. He emphasised the importance of adapting to the different conditions, and hit top gear from the word go, especially due to the change in formats following a grueling IPL.
“In the World Cup, you can still have the league games and you have yourselves to get into the event and then dominate in the latter half. But in Champions Trophy, you have to be on the top of your game from game one.”
If the team wants to hit the ground running, it will depend largely on the skipper’s form. It will be interesting to see how he responds to the IPL setback. Will he lose his edge or come back stronger with a will to win? We will find out soon enough.
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