After Kohli’s fall in the four consecutive Tests in a row, Former India chairman of selectors Kiran More has opined that it is not the perfect time for instigating the Captaincy debate and like MS Dhoni, a mature Kohli knows when to call quits.
England took a 1-0 lead in the four-match series by beating India by 227 run at the first Test at Chennai on Tuesday. Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, India lost back-to-back Tests in New Zealand last year and then the Adelaide Test against Australia.
Throwing their weight behind Virat Kohli’s captaincy Indranil Basu for SK Live, Kiran More backed Virat Kohli to continue leading, and hopes India will make a strong comeback in the series.
“Virat Kohli is our no.1 player. He’s the best. It’s too early to debate on the captaincy. Virat is known for his honesty. He’s a guy who knows when to go (from captaincy) just like MS Dhoni did. India did well in Australia this time. They did well there under Virat Kohli as well.
All the energies should go into planning for winning the next Test. I feel India will come back strong. We have now played one Test in these conditions (after a long tour in Australia) and our bowlers will bowl better here. Even our batters will be better at countering James Anderson, Jofra Archer and others,” said Kiran More, who played 49 Tests and 94 ODIs for India between 1984 and 1993.
However, the critics of Kohli raised their voice after the Indian captain left Australia on paternity leave and Ajinkya Rahane took charge, winning two out of the remaining three Tests to script history.
India’s last Test defeat at home came against Australia in February 2017 in Pune.
“No captain doesn’t like to lose Tests. Having lost a few Tests (four in a row), there will be some pressure on Virat Kohli. He will definitely be thinking about it. For me, I wouldn’t think about the Indian captaincy at the moment. If we lose the next Test, there will be a lot of pressure on us. Then there can be the debate about the captaincy,” Kiran More added.
The defeat against England in Chennai made India to slip to fourth spot. India will have to win at least 2-1 to be able to qualify for the tournament final at Lord’s in June this year.
Kiran More cautioned that if India lose the next Test, the side will be under immense pressure and there will be certainly a debate over Virat Kohli’s captaincy.