The legacy of Virat Kohli, especially as captain, remains unmatched. India’s most successful Test captain, Kohli led a revolution while he was in charge of the team from 2015 to 2021. Under him, India achieved some great things – their first-ever Test series win in Australia, winning the ICC Test mace for five consecutive years, pushing England in Tests on their home turf and multiple memorable ICC tournaments. Who can forget the 2019 World Cup in England, where India finished the group stage at the top of the table?
But while Kohli has brought India countless laurels, like any other captain, he’s endured a few misses too. The biggest blip in Kohli’s captaincy is that he never could win an ICC trophy for India. India came close on several occasions – reaching the semifinal of the 2019 World Cup, the final of the inaugural World Test Championship and the 2017 Champions Trophy – but couldn’t land the final punch. The CT final against Pakistan, in particular, hurts the most. India were the overwhelming favourite to win the contest, having run Pakistan ragged in their group-stage fixture just 10-odd days ago. But on the day of the final, everything went downhill, starting with the toss.
A call that will always be highly debated, India opted to bowl and paid the price. Pakistan plundered 338/4, with Fakhar Zaman’s 114 leading the way. In reply, the fabled Indian batting order crumbled like a pack of cards, getting smoked away for 158. Recalling the game eight years later, former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar, who was part of the team management, admits that the decision-makers, including captain Kohli, made a mistake in reading the conditions.
“We made a mistake that day. We should have batted after winning the toss because in England, you always look up – whether there are clouds. And it was a sunny day entirely. I felt that the decisions that were made and the team management who was part of that call were wrong. I, too, was part of that team. So the captain Virat Kohli, coach Anil Kumble, senior player MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma… everybody was a part of it. It wasn’t a one-man decision,” Bangar said during a discussion on ESPNcricinfo.
Hardik Pandya was fuming with anger
India lost Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan in no time and were further reduced to 6/72. India’s only semblance of hope was when Hardik Pandya was batting, belting a flurry of fours and sixes. But all doors shut with his run-out, courtesy of a mix-up with Ravindra Jadeja. Pakistan won the final by 180 runs and lifted the Champions Trophy under Sarfaraz Ahmed – their first ICC title since the 2009 T20 World Cup, also in England.
“When Hardik and Jadeja were batting, the target was too steep even then. He played a good innings and struck some big sixes, but barring that, we were out of the game when we lost the top order. Hardik was fuming, but he didn’t let that frustration out on his teammate. It was more on himself in a way that ‘I could have won this match for India’. In such a scenario, the player should be left alone,” added Bangar.
