IPL 2019: Is it time for Virat Kohli to let go of the RCB captaincy?
A lot of frustrated RCB fans have expressed their disgruntlement at the way their favorite team has played so far in IPL 2019. After two humiliating defeats at the hands of CSK and SRH and a controversial defeat to MI, RCB are languishing at the bottom of the points table with a shocking NRR of -2.41.
With 11 games left to salvage something in this season, and with the coveted ICC World Cup 2019 coming up in a few months’ time, the question a lot of people are asking is: should Virat Kohli forego the RCB captaincy and focus on just his batting?
The burden of having to put on a good show for the loyal fans of RCB who have stood by him through the highs and lows, was evident in how agitated and expressive Kohli was against MI.
Prima facie, it would do lot of good for Kohli to let go of the burden. His valuable insights and experience would always come in handy for the new skipper, and he will also have greater freedom to concentrate on his batting.
There are some other factors that could also make Kohli step down as captain, which are as follows:
Lack of experience and quality Indian players in RCB’s squad
Kohli sets such a high example with his batting and fitness standards that it becomes tough for everyone else to follow.
In the Indian national team, he has got a very solid and competent set of players who can work and adjust to his style. But that's not the case with the RCB team.
Apart from himself and Yuzvendra Chahal, the Indian contingent in RCB lacks experience and quality. The likes of Parthiv Patel, Navdeep Saini, Shivam Dube and Mohammed Siraj are talented players, but are they good enough to live up to the expectations set by Kohli? Not quite.
If a less demanding skipper takes over the reins of RCB, like say AB de Villiers, then we may to get to see the Indian players in RCB shining and performing to their best.
For some reason, RCB's Indian talent isn't clicking as expected. That could do with the quality of the opposition players, or with their skipper Kohli’s way of functioning.
Apart from ABD, no foreign player can single-handedly win games for RCB
To deal with the lack of experience in the Indian players, Kohli constantly looks to the four foreign players to step up and win games on their own. But while in the past they had Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Shane Watson, now they have only De Villiers.
The emphasis on getting the right foreign talent has also gone missing.
Their current imports - Moeen Ali, Colin de Grandhomme and Shimron Hetmeyer - haven’t clicked as yet. RCB would be ruing the fact that they let go of an in-form Quinton de Kock before the start of IPL 2019.
They have also been missing the services of Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Coulter-Nile, who have now joined the squad and would be expected to fill in the gaps.
The bottom line is that Kohli has set such high standards with the bat and his captaincy for India that he almost expects everything to automatically fall in place when he captains RCB. But when things don’t go right and the games slip from his grasp, he has nowhere to turn.
No one wants to see a disgruntled and clueless Kohli. Perhaps the best thing for RCB and IPL would be for Kohli to just focus on his batting and entertain the crowds like only he can, and leave the burden of captaincy to someone else.