Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, May 5
Virat Kohli’s off-drive — bewildering hand-speed, flashing willow — is a thing of wonder; but it’s also a weakness when playing in conditions where the ball deviates in the air or off the pitch. The deviation is the sharpest in England, and Kohli’s batting average there — 13.40 in 10 Test innings, with a highest of 39 — perfectly explains his problems there. It also explains his reason for playing for Surrey for a month in June: He wants to bat long, score tons of runs when India play five Tests in England in August-September.
Before the Tests, India also play three T20Is and three ODIs, but it’s Test glory that Kohli is after — for a professional cricketer, Test performances are the real indicator of greatness. The captain’s lack of Test runs in England puts a dent on his greatness as a cricketer. He wants to fix this problem.
Missing Afghanistan Test
But Kohli’s deal with Surrey will force him to miss the historic Test against Afghanistan. It’s Afghanistan’s inaugural Test match and ideally, India should have been led in it by their regular captain, against a country with which India has close cricketing — and geopolitical — ties.
Kohli’s missing this important match is reminiscent of India treating last year’s Test series against Sri Lanka as preparatory nets for the subsequent tour of South Africa. The Sri Lankans resented that, but they couldn’t do anything about it.
Afghanistan would have preferred Kohli to lead India. Their cricket board CEO Shafiq Stanikzai said last month: “We lived this dream to play this first Test against India in India. That moment has come true. Virat is a world cricket icon, something our players will miss the exposure playing against.”
This is the way weak teams have been historically treated — star players often skip these ‘less competitive matches’. When the Indian team was making a slow progress in Test cricket, for instance, the Marylebone Cricket Club teams frequently visited India instead of the full-strength England teams.
Kohli vs England?
Vinod Rai, who heads the Committee of Administrators overseeing the operations of the Indian cricket board, has strongly “encouraged” Kohli to play county cricket in England to prepare for the Indian team’s tour, saying: “Afghanistan is playing versus India, not Virat Kohli.”
But getting only Kohli to prepare for the England tour suggests, conversely, that England would be playing versus Virat Kohli, not India.
There are other batsmen who need practice in England, especially after a flat-wicket IPL, in which a batsman’s instinct is to swing hard at every ball. In England, the openers will have to face the swinging new ball. KL Rahul hasn’t played in England, but his average in South Africa is 7.5 and 32.50 in Australia; Shikhar Dhawan averages 20.33 in England, Rohit Sharma 17 and Ajinkya Rahane 33.22.
Cheteshwar Pujara, who got a county deal after being left unsold at the IPL auction, has figured in two matches for Yorkshire so far. He’s currently the most technically adept Indian batsman, yet averages only 22.20 in England. So, among India’s likely top-6, the most successful batsman in England would be Murali Vijay, who averaged 40.20 during the 2014 tour.
Kohli choosing county cricket over the Afghanistan Test may be a necessary evil, but it’s clear that even a Kohli in top form cannot ensure a good show in the England Tests. One batsman can’t win — or even save — India the series. Remember, in 2011, Rahul Dravid scored 100s in three of the four Tests, but India got hammered 4-0.
BCCI, and Rai, would do well to ensure that batsmen other than Kohli too get adequate practice in England.
