Post-captaincy Virat Kohli: A rising phoenix or a pantomime villain?
It didn't take long for the murmurs to start after Rohit Sharma was declared, quite subtly, the Indian men's captain for ODIs and T20Is, succeeding Virat Kohli. The BCCI's (Board of Control for Cricket in India) press release, that announced India's squad ahead of their South Africa tour, had a simple but powerful statement at the very end.
It was the board's way of telling a certain talismanic Virat Kohli that the side has looked past him as they planned for the future. Ruthless? perhaps. Taciturn move? Maybe. Will there be repercussions? Absoutely. But then, it's only Kohli who knows the answer as to what his next step will be.
Let's leave retirement out of the equation, although it is hard to imagine one of the world's greatest batters leaving on bitter terms, especially when he has a lot of cricket in him to offer. The numbers speak for themselves and by the looks of it, the hunger still remains.
The approach from the BCCI was a stark contrast. When it came to handing over the baton of T20I captaincy, it was Virat Kohli who made the announcement citing his immense workload:
“Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all 3 formats and captaining regularly for last 5-6 years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian team in Test and ODI cricket,” he wrote on Instagram on September 16.
The call to what can now safely be called "sacking" is that of the BCCI. Maybe the fact that he hadn't won a single ICC event during his tenure had something to do with it. The early exit from the T20 World Cup, where India were considered favorites, was the icing on the dour cake.
"The All-India Senior Selection Committee also decided to name Mr Rohit Sharma as the Captain of the ODI & T20I teams going forward."
There was nothing about Virat Kohli in that BCCI release. There was no need to have one. The decision was made, the whip was cracked and now the Delhi lad has to choose what he does next.
Virat Kohli: The pantomime villain
With social media further making the story of Rohit Sharma's appointment go supersonic, there will no doubt be opinions formulated, and fake news being spread by the minute. But it all boils down to how Virat Kohli addresses this even as the team preps to head to South Africa for another grueling tour of Test cricket.
Will there be more fractured relationships in the Indian camp? Will the players pick sides? Kohli loyalists vs new skipper siders? Will Rahul Dravid have more than just winning as part of his job description? These are just some of the speculations and theories that will rise the minute Sharma endures an obstacle.
And for those who might nurse a thing or two against Kohli (remember we're rather rabid and outrightly passionate when it comes to cricket), the gossip might not take long to spread and fuel rubbish.
So Kohli's probably going to be the Joker, a man who Michael Caine's Alfred in 'The Dark Knight' simply describes as a person who wants to watch the world around him crumble. "Some men just want to see the world burn," the butler says, and it isn't a stretch to imagine if that's what Kohli will be.
The rise and rise of Virat Kohli
Hard truth, but it is true that Virat Kohli is in a performance rut. The past two years have seen him score zero tons as he managed to carve out 560 runs from a dozen ODIs. The average that was flourishing in the 50s dipped to 46.66.
The 20 T20Is saw him stack up 594 runs at an average of 49.50, again a dip in comparison to the average that hovered at 50. The last dozen Tests were a lean patch where he absolutely failed to make a hundred.
Maybe this is the fire that needed to be lit. This could be the spark, this could be the second-coming that Michael Jordan promised when he came out of baseball and rejoined the Chicago Bulls. This was that moment that turned Goku into a supersaiyan, and maybe this was what will spur Kohli to further entrench his name in the pantheon of greats to have ever played the game.
Pardon the theatrics, but this is Kohli we're talking about. This was a man who constructed run chases and bent the opposition to his will. He's known to wear his heart on his sleeve and dish out whatever he gets in double measure. So, to hope that Virat Kohli would rise like the phoenix is definitely another possibility.
A 71st century loading? Only time will tell.