Off late, Virat Kohli has been at the end of some severe flak, thanks to some dubious captaincy decisions that he has resorted to in the recent past. Though India came out strongly against Australia Down Under, their glory against England was transitory.
It has also been a while since Kohli has shown some relentless consistency as his big knocks are often plagued by modest scores in the middle. However, in the last two tournaments that he has been a part of, he was at the top of his game, chronicling figures of unbeaten 80, 73 and 77 against England which came on the back of a rippling 85 and 40 against Australia.
However, in both the series, he was faced with a few challenges which seemed to compress him into a tough corner that needed individual moments of madness from his teammates to deliver him.
There have been some strong opinions from all around the globe, concerned about the fact that Kohli has been taking too much pressure as a captain and he needs to have the freedom to perform to keep the belligerent artist in him alive.
We will take a look at five probable reasons why Rohit Sharma can be a slightly better captain than VK.
Sharma’s success with Mumbai Indians
The success that has been savoured by Mumbai Indians is the brainchild of Rohit Sharma. The Hitman has been equally prolific with the bat in a similar way he has been brilliant on the field with his decisions. Another important factor that works for Rohit is his ability to keep his emotions in check that gives him a better overview of the situation. Leading Mumbai Indians to unrivaled glory, Sharma knows to manage the best of players without an ego clash. Concurrently, he is learning from the best as he shares the Mumbai dressing room with Kieron Pollard, Quinton de Kock and Trent Boult. All these factors coming together make him a menacing pick for captaincy.
Ability to navigate his team through tough situations
The real test of a captain comes when his team is confronted with ineluctable situations. Sharma has shown exceptional courage in situations where he wrung India out of games where defeat seemed easier. He has a calm head that brings a sense of confidence in players where they are much freer to express themselves. In the case of Kohli, given the headstrong bloke he is, it makes life a bit difficult for the players who are willing to put everything on the line without thinking about the consequences. Also, another important factor that has been at play is that Kohli now owns a pedestal like that of a God in the Indian team and it has accorded him a sense of supremacy. This is not really a welcome spectacle o any cricketer playing under him.
Rohit’s win percentage is much more comprehensive than Kohli’s
Kohli has led India in 45 T20I’s wherein he has managed 27 victories with a win percentage of 65.11. Sharma on the contrary has led India in 19 matches, winning 15 in the process, registering a percentage of 78.94. Out of the nine matches that India has played in their den under Rohit, they have managed to log 8 victories. The ICC T20 World Cup was slated to be in India initially but due to the glaring pandemic will now be held in UAE. Coming to UAE, Sharma led Mumbai Indians to the IPL championship in 2020 without any ado at all. This makes Sharma a strong contender for the captaincy of India.
Despite being close in batting records, Sharma relishes a couple of tons as a captain
Both Sharma and Kohli have been eminent visionaries with the blade in the shortest format of the game. Kohli has gathered 1271 runs from 40 T20I’s at an average of 43.82. Sharma, on the contrary, has clubbed 712 runs from 19 matches. However, what comes out in handy for the Indian vice-captain is his ability to convert the starts into the big ones. He has managed to garner two blistering centuries.
Sharma’s recent brush with the mighty English
While India trailed in their latest T20I series against England, all the English army needed was 46 runs from 4 overs to seal the fate of the fray. For England, two menacing batters in Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes hung in the middle. Kohli had to leave the ground around the 16th over to tend to a minor injury. This is when Rohit Sharma took over the reins and changed the complexion of the game completely as India ran roughshod over their opposition.
