The fall of talismanic leader Virat Kohli as Team India’s skipper in the shortest format of the game seems imminent following abysmal results for the Men in Blue in their opening two games in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
Having earlier announced to step down as Indian captain from T20Is after the end of the marquee ICC event, Kohli has remained in the gloomy shadows of criticism and scrutiny as Indian cricket fans continue to question the possible reasons behind the 32-year-old superstar’s far-reaching decision that already has had several consequences at the peak of his career in international cricket.
To make matters worse for ‘King Kohli, in his final tournament as Indian skipper, the 2007 World T20 champions have had one of their worst ever starts to the campaign in the UAE on the back of crushing defeats to rival nation Pakistan followed by Kane Williamson-led New Zealand in the Super 12 stage of the showpiece event.
Moreover, the end of head coach Ravi Shastri’s tenure has come at the same time which poses a host of concerns in the Indian setup that will need to be addressed by future stakeholders in the group. In such a tough time for the limited-overs national T20I side, another dreary cloud was cast over Kohli & Co. by former Indian WC winner Gautam Gambhir.
Gambhir lambasted Kohli for his excessively reactive temperament and in-your-face attitude at all times as a huge chink in the Indian captain’s armor. The 40-year-old ex-India batter criticised Kohli for his leadership demeanour during the two matches that Team India have played so far in the T20 World Cup.
In a chat with ESPNcricinfo, Gambhir explained: “New Zealand was exactly in the same position as India today. So they had an equal amount of pressure. I mean, it starts with the leader as well. [For New Zealand] it starts with Kane, the calmness. You don’t have to be on the face all the time. You don’t have to show your emotions [always], sometimes just your positivity and calmness can be equally positive [for] the group as well. Just by reacting to everything doesn’t mean that you are more passionate than someone else,” said the former Indian opening batsman.
Gambhir highlighted that the pressure on India and New Zealand was similar with regards to their position in the tournament as he argued that despite such a situation, Kiwi skipper Williamson’s calmness had a more positive impact on his teammates than Kohli’s enthusiasm had on Indian players.
“Kane doesn’t react to everything but look at the calmness. Sometimes in these crunch games, it’s your calmness that’s much more important than probably your enthusiasm or reaction to everything,” added Gambhir.
India are now in fifth place behind Namibia on the points table in Group 2 of the Super 12s. What’s worse? Kohli’s side have a net run rate (NRR) of -1.609. The Men in Blue will be hoping for a miracle to happen for them to qualify for the semi-finals from here on in. They will next face Afghanistan on Wednesday (November 3) in Abu Dhabi.
