England And Australia Tours Will Define Virat's Captaincy

England and Australia tours will define Virat's captaincy

- Sunil Gavaskar

An honest confession. Way back in 2008, I didn’t think Virat Kohli would turn out to be the sensational batsman he is today, after seeing him in the inaugural season of the IPL. The IPL, of course, is never a true indication of how good a player is going to be. Sure, the pressure is intense and compressed in a few overs. It does give an idea about the player’s temperament and how he copes with situations that keep changing with virtually every delivery.

In 2008, Virat had an ordinary IPL and, technically, his batting looked full of holes. He had a back lift that came in from third man, and, while that is not an issue if the bat comes straighter down when meeting the ball, Virat’s bat kept coming down at an angle, making him vulnerable to the ball that nipped back in. His footwork was also a bit tardy and he tended to play way away from his body, making him lose balance more often than not. The latter, of course, is the hazard of playing the ultra short format of the sport, the T20, where every ball has to be scored off so batsmen tend to lose their body shape in the attempt. Temperamentally, too, he went for the big shot even when there was no real need to do so. There was also talk emanating from the Royal Challengers Bangalore dressing room that the young man was averse to taking advice, and, in fact, was apt to answer back even when it was well meant.