Kolkata: Virat Kohli, India’s premier batsman and Test skipper has had a magnificent 2016 and would like to carry on in the same way in 2017. His mantra for the new year-, ‘Go Bold.’
The right-handed batsman enjoyed a tremendous form in the year as he scores three scintillating double tons in Test cricket, scored above 900 runs in the IPL and single-handedly guided his team to the semi-finals of the World T20.To add to his achievements this year, he also captained a side that remained undefeated in the five-day format.
Kohli in an open letter on several social platforms said that he wouldn’t back down from taking any bold decisions in 2017.
He said, “There is only one thing worse than living with the consequences of making a bold move: the regret of not making one. So, here’s my mantra for the New Year. I will do what I have always done — follow my instincts and make my own choices.”
The letter further stated, ” “People believe I know exactly what I am doing that I know for sure how my decisions are going to turn out. Given the recent success on the pitch, that belief is now probably sweeping the nation.”
Not only did Kohli shine as a batsman this year, he also excelled in captaincy. As a matter of fact, his success in this year has made him one of the forces in world cricket to reckon with. The fact that he had to captain a relatively young side with not much experience and still be successful speaks volumes about his calibre as a leader. He led by example scoring the bulk of the runs for his team as he ended the year with 1215 test runs averaging 75.93 in the game’s longest format. Also, he averages over 75 in the other formats as well.
Before this year, he did not have a first class double hundred but by the end of the year, he has three in his kitty. He has shown intent and determination to lead his team forward to greater paths of success.
However, Virat Kohli has been different than MS Dhoni as a captain of the Indian Test side.
Dhoni’s team had heavyweights like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman when he took over the test captaincy from Anil Kumble in 2014. But Kohli had to take over a relatively young team when Dhoni called it quits from the five-day format in the tour of Australia at the end of 2014.
After having played 22 tests as captain, Kohli’s record is more or less similar to that of Dhoni. With the same number of draws, Dhoni had lost three test matches while Kohli has lost only two.
Kohli has displayed different captaincy from his predecessor Dhoni with respect to the five-bowler strategy. During the tour to Bangladesh in 2015, Kohli said that it was the bowlers who win matches for a team.
MS Dhoni was also criticised because of his defensive approach early on in the innings but Kohli has attacked right from the word ,’go.’
Kohli’s ,”Go Bold” mantra will be tested in 2017 in India’s tour to South Africa, followed by five tests in England and in the tour to Australia for four tests in 2018.