India sealed the series against Sri Lanka in Colombo
After India sealed the series against Sri Lanka in Colombo, Virat Kohli – yet to lose a series as a full-time Test captain – expressed the team is no longer bothered about playing at home or away and have their focus only on winning.
Surely, eight consecutive series victories in two years backs his statement.
But since the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under, India have played Tests mostly at home, except the Sri Lanka tour in 2015, West Indies series in 2016 and the ongoing three-Test series against Dinesh Chandimal’s men. In a space of four months, Darren Sammy’s side arrived in India for a full-series. Now here, the Future Tours Programme (FTP) seems to be a “disaster” because it puts no cap on the amount of bilateral cricket that can be scheduled.
The individual boards, including BCCI, can’t be stopped from arranging ‘extra’ series.
It’s an overkill for the public. But it gives a team ample scope to be at the top while playing against teams, especially Sri Lanka and West Indies, who are currently experiencing a sad decline.
Manjrekar strikes
Soon after Kohli became the only Indian captain to register two series wins in Sri Lanka, Sanjay Manjrekar – cricketer turned commentator – made a statement which is thought-provoking.
Citing the example of one of the best Pakistan teams of all time, led by Imran Khan, Manjrekar wants Kohli to emulate Imran and urge the BCCI for “tougher challenges”.
The side led by Imran in the 1980s pushed the best Test team in the world West Indies to the limit. In only his second Test as skipper, Imran led Pakistan to their first ever victory on English soil since 1954.
Five years later, he led Pakistan to their first-ever Test series win against India (in India) followed by their first series victory in England.
During the 1980s, Imran’s team also recorded three praiseworthy draws against the West Indies. And their 1992 World Cup triumph, held in Australia and New Zealand, was nothing less than an inspiration.
Out of 48 matches as captain, Imran Khan won 14, lost 8 and the rest were drawn. It’s evident that statistically, he wasn’t the best Pakistani captain but he is remembered because of the impact he had.
In case of Kohli, things are different. India have got off to a wonderful start under him, have become World No 1 but are yet to face a stiff challenge.
His first ‘real’ overseas test is just a few months away but BCCI’s planning of this ‘over-excessive’ home season could again result in the same old story that started way back with the 0-4 defeat to England in 2011.
Kohli-led India should not celebrate too soon. While the drubbing of a listless Sri Lanka is not to be scoffed at, the days ahead will challenge the side more.