Virat Kohli finished as India’s most successful Test captain and India won a plethora of bilateral limited-overs series though that didn’t result in any ICC trophy under the Delhi cricketer.
Nonetheless, Kohli goes down as an inspirational leader and one of the finest Indian captains ever – both statistically and objectively.
However, a number of players would have felt treated unfairly or hard done by under Virat Kohli’s captaincy regime. Kohli was not the best of decision-makers when it comes to tactics and team selection, especially in white-ball cricket. He was also heavily criticised for showing a lack of faith in younger and inexperienced players while giving an extra rope to the ones established in the team.
Here are 5 players who didn’t get enough chances under Virat Kohli as India’s captain:
Amit Mishra
It is just quite so staggering to believe that Amit Mishra didn’t play a single ODI match after taking a five-wicket haul in his last ODI. Yes – in the 2016 home ODI series vs New Zealand, under MS Dhoni’s captaincy, Mishra was the Player of the Match in the series-deciding fifth ODI for taking a five-for and was also the Player of the Series for snaring 15 wickets.
However, when Kohli took over the limited-overs captaincy in early 2017, Mishra was shockingly cast aside and never played an ODI again. And Mishra was 33 of age then, with plenty of time left in his career – as he continued to show in the IPL – and vast experience under his belt. It still remains one of the most unfair, unjust treatments meted out to a player.
Karun Nair
Talking about unfair axings, spare a thought for India’s only second-over Test triple centurion: Karun Nair, who perhaps would still be carrying the disappointment and frustrations of being ignored cruelly despite racking up a world record.
Nair registered his triple hundred vs England in Chennai in December 2016 in what was only his career’s third Test match. Only four innings later – all vs the Australian bowling attack on tough turning Indian pitches – Nair was dropped altogether never to be given a chance again!
Prithvi Shaw
The Indian team needs to ask themselves: ‘Where are they going with Prithvi Shaw now?’ Because the previous management of Kohli-Shastri had thrown away a talented youngster in a state of uncertainty and perhaps immense self-doubt when fiercely discarding him after just failure in one Test match – in Adelaide 2020 when he was bowled for 0 and 4 by Starc and Cummins, in the same game where India were bowled out for 36.
Shaw had hit a debut Test ton in 2018 vs West Indies and then a fifty in New Zealand. He’s someone who plays with a type of brand no one in the Test team did after Virender Sehwag.
However, the 22-year-old youngster didn’t get any backing from the Kohli-Shastri management, and even after that Australia tour despite him piling up big runs in domestic cricket. After 5 Tests, Shaw still averages 42 at a strike rate of 86.
Karn Sharma
This is a really interesting case – because Virat Kohli himself showed an incredible amount of faith and put huge responsibility on leg-spinner Karn Sharma when he handed the debut to him in the 2014 Adelaide Test while subjecting R Ashwin and Jadeja on the bench.
Expectedly, Karn had a horrific game-returning with match figures of 4/238 and was never picked up in the Indian team in any format by Kohli again. Only if Kohli hadn’t thrown Karn to the wolves on his debut, or had given him a longer backing in home matches, the leg-spinner could have had a better international career.
Mohit Sharma
Mohit Sharma played a total of 34 white-ball matches for India; 32 of those came under MS Dhoni and the seamer was a key part of the 2015 World Cup team which went unbeaten in the entire group stage. However, he got to play only two matches under Kohli – in Zimbabwe – and Kohli never showed trust in the experienced pacer under his tenure despite Mohit doing well in the IPL and in domestic cricket.
