"Virat Kohli has won nothing as a leader at the moment, he has a lot to achieve" : Gautam Gambhir

[Abdullah719]

"Virat Kohli has won nothing as a leader at the moment, he has a lot to achieve" : Gautam Gambhir

Indian cricket skipper Virat Kohli is among the modern-day greats of the game both as a batsman and a leader. There is hardly any doubt that under Virat the Men in Blue have performed well in both limited-overs cricket as well as Test matches but what they have lacked is winning a world title.

Even in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, where India were looked upon as favourites to lift the title, the Kohli led side had to face a disappointing defeat against New Zealand and get knocked out of the competition. Given that India performs so good in bilateral cricket competitions and league games, it is nothing but an enigma why the team has struggled to perform as per potential in the crunch matches off late.

During a media interaction, former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir talked about Kohli’s graph as a skipper and agreed to the fact that there is still a long way to go for Kohli as a captain.

“Lots! It is a team sport. You can keep scoring your own runs. There are people like Brian Lara who have scored so many runs. There are people like Jacques Kallis who have won nothing. Virat Kohli at the moment has won nothing, to be honest as a leader. He has a lot to achieve,” Gambhir said during the latest episode of Star Sports show, Cricket Connected.

With Kohli at the helm of affairs, India lost the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final against arch-rivals Pakistan and also failed to lead India over the line against the Kiwis in the semi-final of the World Cup 2019.

“You can keep scoring those big runs but according to me, till you win those big trophies you will never be able to fulfil your entire career,” Gambhir added.

India would be looking to amend that record under Kohli as two of the upcoming three World Cups are scheduled to be played in India- the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2021 and the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2023.

https://www.thestatesman.com/sports...nothing-leader-gautam-gambhir-1502900090.html

 

[Rana]

Yes Gautam, my G!

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Well did tendulkar, dravid, kallis, sangakkara, lara all had a unfulfilled career.?
Gauti is ranting too much nowadays.

 

[Mamoon]

Won nothing? Does Gambhir think that success in Test cricket mean nothing unless you win a Limited Overs trophy?

Kohli has won 33 out of 50 Tests. He has the third best win percentage in Test cricket history and is only behind 4 captains in terms of overall wins. He has also helped India achieve one of the longest reigns at the top of the rankings in history. He has achieved all of this by the age of 31 and has plenty of years left to add to his captaincy accolades.

Gambhir was and always will be a small man. A terrific cricketer but a small man.

 

[NishanKonar]

Won nothing? Does Gambhir think that success in Test cricket mean nothing unless you win a Limited Overs trophy?

Kohli has won 33 out of 50 Tests. He has the third best win percentage in Test cricket history and is only behind 4 captains in terms of overall wins. He has also helped India achieve one of the longest reigns at the top of the rankings in history. He has achieved all of this by the age of 31 and has plenty of years left to add to his captaincy accolades.

Gambhir was and always will be a small man. A terrific cricketer but a small man.

Harsh reality is Kohli got most of his test victories in India on very helpful pitches or places like Sri Lanka & west indies. He lost 4-1 to England ( who drew 1-1 with Sri Lanka ) & 2-1 to South africa . Even worse he has made lots of captaincy gaffes. Batting second in CT 17 final, keeping Pujara out for overseas tests , picking 2 spinners on a green top pitch at Lords, picking 4 seamers & no spnner at Perth where Lyon took 9 wickets. Plus he went to 2019 WC with a middle order of Dhoni, Kedar , Dinesh Karthik & Vijay Shankar. Every Tom Dick & Harry know Dhoni is well past his prime bu Kohli has never been able to take tough decisions unlike Dhoni who showed Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman & Sehwag the door when necessary

Kohli's captaincy is very mediocre - fact that he has no IPL titles while Rohit has 4 in the same number of seasons as captain tells u something abt his captaincy skills. In a way he is similar to Tendulkar except that he does not let captaincy to affect his personal form & has better bowlers in his team to cover up his deficiencies as captain while Tendulkar had to manage with Kuruvillas & Noel Davids

 

[NishanKonar]

Fact is if Rohit cemented his place in test team - he wud have been better choice of captain. If India does not win T20 World Cup in Australia there is high chance Rohit will replace Kohli at least in T20 & ODI cricket

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

Gambhir is a rarity in Indian cricket who doesn't mince his words. In this instance, he is true to himself and provided some great constructive criticism.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Kohli's leadership has a very simple equation: Put the easy one's away without fuss, but struggle against the bigger tasks.

You can count on him crushing weak opposition home and away every time. That is not a dig at him either, it's a compliment. Putting away easy opposition with relentless monotony is a hard task. I will put a dilapidated Australia in that column. Kohli did what he was supposed to do and did it well.

His captaincy stats alone tell a great story.

However, this is not the full story.

Trouble is, your true legacy happens when you start beating the tough one's home and away and are feared for it. You do it once, you do it again and you do it over and over, and you enter a series knowing you are going to win, and so does your opposition. Like WI 70's/80's and Aus 90's/00's.

Also, you state your goal loudly so everyone knows you are after them - remember Waugh declaring India as the last frontier - and then going on and winning there?

Also, leaders are recognized for their leadership by their peers. Kohli is yet to achieve that level.

In that sense, the likes of Ganguly are miles ahead of Kohli.

Gambhir is right.

Good thing is: Time is on Kohli's side, provided his batting continues to stand up to the test of time.

 

[Buffet]

Kohli's leadership has a very simple equation: Put the easy one's away without fuss, but struggle against the bigger tasks.

You can count on him crushing weak opposition home and away every time. That is not a dig at him either, it's a compliment. Putting away easy opposition with relentless monotony is a hard task. I will put a dilapidated Australia in that column. Kohli did what he was supposed to do and did it well.

His captaincy stats alone tell a great story.

However, this is not the full story.

Trouble is, your true legacy happens when you start beating the tough one's home and away and are feared for it. You do it once, you do it again and you do it over and over, and you enter a series knowing you are going to win, and so does your opposition. Like WI 70's/80's and Aus 90's/00's.

Also, you state your goal loudly so everyone knows you are after them - remember Waugh declaring India as the last frontier - and then going on and winning there?

Also, leaders are recognized for their leadership by their peers. Kohli is yet to achieve that level.

In that sense, the likes of Ganguly are miles ahead of Kohli.

Gambhir is right.

Good thing is: Time is on Kohli's side, provided his batting continues to stand up to the test of time.

And who will be tough ones to beat for Indians at home?

 

[NishanKonar]

Kohli's leadership has a very simple equation: Put the easy one's away without fuss, but struggle against the bigger tasks.

You can count on him crushing weak opposition home and away every time. That is not a dig at him either, it's a compliment. Putting away easy opposition with relentless monotony is a hard task. I will put a dilapidated Australia in that column. Kohli did what he was supposed to do and did it well.

His captaincy stats alone tell a great story.

However, this is not the full story.

Trouble is, your true legacy happens when you start beating the tough one's home and away and are feared for it. You do it once, you do it again and you do it over and over, and you enter a series knowing you are going to win, and so does your opposition. Like WI 70's/80's and Aus 90's/00's.

Also, you state your goal loudly so everyone knows you are after them - remember Waugh declaring India as the last frontier - and then going on and winning there?

Also, leaders are recognized for their leadership by their peers. Kohli is yet to achieve that level.

In that sense, the likes of Ganguly are miles ahead of Kohli.

Gambhir is right.

Good thing is: Time is on Kohli's side, provided his batting continues to stand up to the test of time.

This is the crux of the matter with Kohli. The upcoming T20 WC & Australia series is a good chance to set he record straight. But having seen Kohli over the past few yrs, I dont have much hopes. Another SF place in T20 WC & at max draw in test series in Australia

 

[Ab Fan]

Virat is a decent leader, not the worse but not among the best India have produced. His wins are higher in tests because of home dominance. We have some phenomenal players at home but most of them bar Kohli is mediocre away and this is where his leadership matters and till now it hasn't come out well.

I rate Kapil Dev and Ganguly higher in tests while Dhoni, Kapil and Ganguly in ODIs.

 

[Savak]

Gambhir is the Tanvir Ahmed of India. Will find faults and something to complain about and criticize in the media no matter what you do. He is probably suffering from the Yousaf syndrome i.e. being bitter about not receiving the fame, adulation that others got.

 

[MenInG]

Gambhir is the Tanvir Ahmed of India. Will find faults and something to complain about and criticize in the media no matter what you do. He is probably suffering from the Yousaf syndrome i.e. being bitter about not receiving the fame, adulation that others got.

Except that GG has a track record as a decent player so his word does have some weight.

 

[Slog]

Except that GG has a track record as a decent player so his word does have some weight.

any ex or current cricketers words hold significant weight otherwise we might as well shut down the forum

 

[Slog]

Gambhir is the Tanvir Ahmed of India. Will find faults and something to complain about and criticize in the media no matter what you do. He is probably suffering from the Yousaf syndrome i.e. being bitter about not receiving the fame, adulation that others got.

nail on the head.

he is always bitter. And esp if he has had an on-field fight with you he will remember it and be bitter for decades.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

And who will be tough ones to beat for Indians at home?

I did not mention that Kohli has not faced remotely the opposition Ganguly faced - think back to the Australia, Pakistan and South Africa of those years.

Away series aren't what they used to be.

This is not his fault so not a demerit in his column at all.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

This is the crux of the matter with Kohli. The upcoming T20 WC & Australia series is a good chance to set he record straight. But having seen Kohli over the past few yrs, I dont have much hopes. Another SF place in T20 WC & at max draw in test series in Australia

Australia away is going to be a good series - unless they put out flat decks.

 

[NishanKonar]

I did not mention that Kohli has not faced remotely the opposition Ganguly faced - think back to the Australia, Pakistan and South Africa of those years.

Away series aren't what they used to be.

This is not his fault so not a demerit in his column at all.

The Pakistan side we faced in 2004 was pretty average. Remember bowlers like Fazle Akbar & Shabbir Ahmed & over-the-hill Saqlain getting clobbered by Sehwag & Co.

Even the 2005 team was on paper pretty average & yet Ganguly's side managed to end up 1-1 in tests & lost 4-2 in ODIs with much superiors side on paper. That was beginning of downfall of Ganguly's reign as skipper

 

[NishanKonar]

Australia away is going to be a good series - unless they put out flat decks.

On paper should be good series , I expect India to draw 2-2 at least. But look at how we lost 2-0 to much inferior NZ recently. Kohli as captain is atrocious in tests

 

[Thomaskutty]

We saw how motivated Kohli was in the 2018 Eng series after he was mocked for the 2014 flop show.

I was hoping someone in the press conference post-WC semifinal would irk him and point to him his pattern of failures in knockout games. Atleast that annoyance would spur him in the next ICC tournament but no journalist was willing to go there.

Good on Gambhir for bringing this up, although I'd have liked him to point out Kohli's low scores in these crucial games.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

On paper should be good series , I expect India to draw 2-2 at least. But look at how we lost 2-0 to much inferior NZ recently. Kohli as captain is atrocious in tests

NZ at home in those extremely difficult batting/bowling conditions are not inferior. They are a very difficult away tour.

The same conditions do not exist in Australia, and some decks are flat, so India will have a much better chance.

 

[Rana]

We saw how motivated Kohli was in the 2018 Eng series after he was mocked for the 2014 flop show.

I was hoping someone in the press conference post-WC semifinal would irk him and point to him his pattern of failures in knockout games. Atleast that annoyance would spur him in the next ICC tournament but no journalist was willing to go there.

Good on Gambhir for bringing this up, although I'd have liked him to point out Kohli's low scores in these crucial games.

Lol this is no Bollywood script

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Well did tendulkar, dravid, kallis, sangakkara, lara all had a unfulfilled career.?
Gauti is ranting too much nowadays.

Now he is ranting lol. It seems you guys only like him when he speaks about Pakistan.

Cricketer Gautam Gambhir > Chowkidar Gautam Gambhir

And please read the article again. Gauti is saying that as a leader he has a lot to achieve. He is right.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Fact is if Rohit cemented his place in test team - he wud have been better choice of captain. If India does not win T20 World Cup in Australia there is high chance Rohit will replace Kohli at least in T20 & ODI cricket

Exactly this. Rohit seems to be a better captain than Kohli.

 

[Hawkeye]

Won nothing? Does Gambhir think that success in Test cricket mean nothing unless you win a Limited Overs trophy?

Kohli has won 33 out of 50 Tests. He has the third best win percentage in Test cricket history and is only behind 4 captains in terms of overall wins. He has also helped India achieve one of the longest reigns at the top of the rankings in history. He has achieved all of this by the age of 31 and has plenty of years left to add to his captaincy accolades.

Gambhir was and always will be a small man. A terrific cricketer but a small man.

A World Cup win is the ultimate pinnacle of someone's career and stature. Let alone a World Cup, he doesn't even have a Champions Trophy under his belt.

You can bring any number of Test statistics, it won't matter in this case, because someone else will come and downplay them because of Kohli's atrocious overseas Test record. Losing everywhere, getting whitewashed everywhere competitive, except the last Aus tour where they benefitted from the ouster of Smith, Warner etc.

So, he has only one Test victory that is good enough.

Rest, he has nothing to show for. Other IND captains have done far better in Tests.

 

[leatherface58]

A World Cup win is the ultimate pinnacle of someone's career and stature. Let alone a World Cup, he doesn't even have a Champions Trophy under his belt.

You can bring any number of Test statistics, it won't matter in this case, because someone else will come and downplay them because of Kohli's atrocious overseas Test record. Losing everywhere, getting whitewashed everywhere competitive, except the last Aus tour where they benefitted from the ouster of Smith, Warner etc.

So, he has only one Test victory that is good enough.

Rest, he has nothing to show for. Other IND captains have done far better in Tests.

Spoken like someone who has truly never even come close to international cricket.

Tell me something, do you find yourself going to cricinfo, ordering by average, and saying that this player is better because his "Average" is better?

 

[CricketCartoons]

Also, you state your goal loudly so everyone knows you are after them - remember Waugh declaring India as the last frontier - and then going on and winning there?

When did Waugh win a test series in india?

 

[Bigboii]

I don't like GG and this further proves my point he is just an insecure lil man

 

[shujaatraza]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]. By your logic.. You should also praise Misbah then. But when it comes to him you will say all he has won is Test Matches and that too in UAE.
Fact is Virat is yet to win a trophy and call it luck, fluke or whatever Sarfaraz has won it.

 

[CanadianG00se]

Gambhir is the Tanvir Ahmed of India. Will find faults and something to complain about and criticize in the media no matter what you do. He is probably suffering from the Yousaf syndrome i.e. being bitter about not receiving the fame, adulation that others got.

Gambir was part of World Cup winning team, and played an important role in India winning the WC. He is actually spot on in his evaluation of Kohli not winning anything.

 

[Hitman]

Also, you state your goal loudly so everyone knows you are after them - remember Waugh declaring India as the last frontier - and then going on and winning there?

When did Steve Waugh win a Test series in India?

 

[Realromeo]

Gambhir is a clown. No one should take him seriously.

 

[Mamoon]

Kohli's leadership has a very simple equation: Put the easy one's away without fuss, but struggle against the bigger tasks.

You can count on him crushing weak opposition home and away every time. That is not a dig at him either, it's a compliment. Putting away easy opposition with relentless monotony is a hard task. I will put a dilapidated Australia in that column. Kohli did what he was supposed to do and did it well.

His captaincy stats alone tell a great story.

However, this is not the full story.

Trouble is, your true legacy happens when you start beating the tough one's home and away and are feared for it. You do it once, you do it again and you do it over and over, and you enter a series knowing you are going to win, and so does your opposition. Like WI 70's/80's and Aus 90's/00's.

Also, you state your goal loudly so everyone knows you are after them - remember Waugh declaring India as the last frontier - and then going on and winning there?

Also, leaders are recognized for their leadership by their peers. Kohli is yet to achieve that level.

In that sense, the likes of Ganguly are miles ahead of Kohli.

Gambhir is right.

Good thing is: Time is on Kohli's side, provided his batting continues to stand up to the test of time.

Waugh declared India as the final frontier and then lost the series 2-1.

The entire generation of Australians suffered from the Kolkata Test PTSD and got cold feet whenever they were in a position to enforce the follow-on.

 

[Mamoon]

A World Cup win is the ultimate pinnacle of someone's career and stature. Let alone a World Cup, he doesn't even have a Champions Trophy under his belt.

You can bring any number of Test statistics, it won't matter in this case, because someone else will come and downplay them because of Kohli's atrocious overseas Test record. Losing everywhere, getting whitewashed everywhere competitive, except the last Aus tour where they benefitted from the ouster of Smith, Warner etc.

So, he has only one Test victory that is good enough.

Rest, he has nothing to show for. Other IND captains have done far better in Tests.

You are quite generous. You could have easily said that Kohli has no good enough Test victories and he is a vastly inferior captain to Misbah.

You can be dismissive of his series win in Australia, but the same Australian side that lost to him would have smashed Misbah’s Pakistan.

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]. By your logic.. You should also praise Misbah then. But when it comes to him you will say all he has won is Test Matches and that too in UAE.
Fact is Virat is yet to win a trophy and call it luck, fluke or whatever Sarfaraz has won it.

That is not my logic either. Misbah is a vastly inferior captain to Kohli.

Misbah’s Pakistan was not a dominant team. They were only good at avoiding losing home series, plus Misbah had the distinction of losing a Test in Zimbabwe.

The only time Misbah’s team played like Kohli’s India was in the 2014 UAE series against Australia.

The only Pakistani captain who is comparable to Kohli is Misbah.

Saying that Sarfraz has won a trophy and Kohli hasn’t is like saying that Munaf Patel has won a World Cup and Waqar hasn’t. Kohli is a million times better captain and leader than Sarfraz.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Waugh declared India as the final frontier and then lost the series 2-1.

The entire generation of Australians suffered from the Kolkata Test PTSD and got cold feet whenever they were in a position to enforce the follow-on.

Not correct. Waugh won 'the final frontier' series in 2004.
https://www.timesnownews.com/sports...atting-line-up-during-2004-test-series/606344
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/final-frontier-conquered/225537

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

When did Steve Waugh win a Test series in India?

Correct. It was Ponting.

I was wondering what I was missing.

Please change Waugh with Australia.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Not correct. Waugh won 'the final frontier' series in 2004.
https://www.timesnownews.com/sports...atting-line-up-during-2004-test-series/606344
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/final-frontier-conquered/225537

Correct. Ponting. My bad.

 

[andy0204]

Correct. It was Ponting.

I was wondering what I was missing.

Please change Waugh with Australia.

Actually it was Gilchrist,Ponting only played last test.

 

[Swashbuckler]

Correct. It was Ponting.

I was wondering what I was missing.

Please change Waugh with Australia.

Just a small change, the 2 tests that Australia won Gilchrist was their captain. When they clinched the series in Nagpur it was Gilchrist at the helm. Ponting came in last test (Mumbai) and lost the match. In fact Ponting never won a test in India as skipper.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Thank you all.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Just a small change, the 2 tests that Australia won Gilchrist was their captain. When they clinched the series in Nagpur it was Gilchrist at the helm. Ponting came in last test (Mumbai) and lost the match. In fact Ponting never won a test in India as skipper.

Gilchrist was just warming the seat. It was still Ponting's team. Read gilchrist's book.

 

[Swashbuckler]

Patience is running out because of lack of silverware. Such voices will only continue to grow till we break this jinx. In almost all ICC tournaments since 2014 we are dominating the group stage and choking in knockouts, much worse than group stage elimination psychologically. South Africans were in a similar situation in the 90s and 00s, till the 2015 WC, and now us, this is very frustrating. Doesn't help that we even failed to close out so many tests overseas because of selection and captaincy blunders.

 

[Hasan123]

In tests there is no trophy until the test championship came about. India have been on top of the test rankings for a few years under Kohli so he has done a good job there. I would consider him a great test captain, and a good LO captain. Has a lot to improve in LO.

If he can win the test championship and WC, he would finish as one of the greatest captains of all time.

They have a good chance of winning the WC, not sure about the test championship as their team is ageing and has issues away from home.

 

[King_Kohli]

Asked to pick one between the two to chase down targets

Speaking on star sports Gautham Gambhir said:
Dhoni would have perform better than Kohli at N0-3.
Probably world cricket has missed one thing and that is MS didn't bat at No.3.
Probably world cricket would have seen a completely different player, probably he could have got many more runs, he would have broken many more records.

Irfan Pathan said:
I really believe that if you compare Virat and Dhoni batting at No. 3, I still feel Virat has a better technique. There's nothing that I am taking away from Dhoni, obviously, he has been an absolute legend of the game. Everyone has their own opinion. I will still take Virat any day.

 

[Titan24]

Well winning an ICC tournament is definitely something missing on Kohli’s CV as leader.

Coming to tests he has obviously got the win in Aus (Circumstances aside) which definitely goes to his credit however other than that performances in Eng, NZ and to some extent in SA haven’t been much home to write about.

Winning at home is good and Kohli definitely improved the overall %age of win by minimizing the draws but even in Dhoni’s time India lost I guess only 1 home series however, at the same time he won India 3 ICC trophies with that.

So I guess its fair to call in tests he has been a memorable captain for India but in ICC tournaments he has left a lot to be desired especially when India went as one of favourites on most occasions. Its not like India did poorly but somehow got knocked out at critical junctures.

He is 31 and he most probably only has only one more WC and maybe 1-2 T20 WCs in him unless he is looking to play till late 30s or 40 and that too as captain.

 

[JattMaula]

Truth is sweet.

 

[Hawkeye]

You are quite generous. You could have easily said that Kohli has no good enough Test victories and he is a vastly inferior captain to Misbah.

You can be dismissive of his series win in Australia, but the same Australian side that lost to him would have smashed Misbah’s Pakistan.

I'm glad you brought up Misbah.

Aren't you the one who goes out of his way to dismiss Misbah's good Test record (among PAK captains)?

Several times you've said Test victories don't mean much, specially winning at "home" or in the UAE, so Misbah isn't a good captain.

Kohli hasn't won anything overseas except that Aus series. I don't completely dismiss it, it was still a good victory, yes the opposition was super weak but still it was a good win.

But not sure how that makes Kohli a great captain of today - you claim him to be the best in the world. I never said Misbah is was the greatest in the world, he was just a PAK great after Imran as a captain.

You can't have it both ways.

Are you saying Kohli is a top captain just because of Test wins at home?

 

[Mamoon]

I'm glad you brought up Misbah.

Aren't you the one who goes out of his way to dismiss Misbah's good Test record (among PAK captains)?

Several times you've said Test victories don't mean much, specially winning at "home" or in the UAE, so Misbah isn't a good captain.

Kohli hasn't won anything overseas except that Aus series. I don't completely dismiss it, it was still a good victory, yes the opposition was super weak but still it was a good win.

But not sure how that makes Kohli a great captain of today - you claim him to be the best in the world. I never said Misbah is was the greatest in the world, he was just a PAK great after Imran as a captain.

You can't have it both ways.

Are you saying Kohli is a top captain just because of Test wins at home?

The difference between Misbah and Kohli is that Misbah was not even dominant in the UAE. Not losing a home series doesn’t make you dominant; winning matches while obliterating the opposition makes you dominant.

Misbah faced South Africa in the UAE twice and failed to win the series both times.

In 2014, we need a day 5 miracle to level the series against Sri Lanka.

New Zealand drew 1-1 in 2014-15.

Even West Indies won a Test in 2016. Can you imagine Kohli’s India losing to West Indies at home?

England were literally minutes away from winning the 1st Test in 2015.

In 7 years, Misbah basically had two dominant series only - England 2012 and Australia 2014.

On the other hand, Kohli’s India have brutalized opposition at home in every series. The only competitive series was against Australia in 2017. That is it.

I don’t devalue dominance at home because wins at home do not come free. The reason why I don’t rate Misbah’s captaincy and think he was vastly inferior to Kohli is because his team was not dominant at home.

Losing Test matches to South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and West Indies at home is not called dominance.

Yes I do think Kohli is one of the greatest Test captains ever. By the age of 31, he has achieved 33 Test wins (5th most in history) at a win percentage of 60% (3rd best in history). By the time he is done, he will probably have the most Test wins in history.

People who cannot digest his success devalue him by stating that he is picking up cheap wins in a result-oriented era. The problem with that assertion is that it is also easier to lose matches in a result-oriented era, and Kohli’s rate of losing matches is not high at all.

It takes a lot of quality and ruthlessness to win matches as consistently as he does, and he has never lost an overseas Test after winning the toss.

There is no doubt that he is not only an all-time great batsman but also an all-time great Test captain.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

The difference between Misbah and Kohli is that Misbah was not even dominant in the UAE. Not losing a home series doesn’t make you dominant; winning matches while obliterating the opposition makes you dominant.

Misbah faced South Africa in the UAE twice and failed to win the series both times.

In 2014, we need a day 5 miracle to level the series against Sri Lanka.

New Zealand drew 1-1 in 2014-15.

Even West Indies won a Test in 2016. Can you imagine Kohli’s India losing to West Indies at home?

England were literally minutes away from winning the 1st Test in 2015.

In 7 years, Misbah basically had two dominant series only - England 2012 and Australia 2014.

On the other hand, Kohli’s India have brutalized opposition at home in every series. The only competitive series was against Australia in 2017. That is it.

I don’t devalue dominance at home because wins at home do not come free. The reason why I don’t rate Misbah’s captaincy and think he was vastly inferior to Kohli is because his team was not dominant at home.

Losing Test matches to South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and West Indies at home is not called dominance.

Yes I do think Kohli is one of the greatest Test captains ever. By the age of 31, he has achieved 33 Test wins (5th most in history) at a win percentage of 60% (3rd best in history). By the time he is done, he will probably have the most Test wins in history.

People who cannot digest his success devalue him by stating that he is picking up cheap wins in a result-oriented era. The problem with that assertion is that it is also easier to lose matches in a result-oriented era, and Kohli’s rate of losing matches is not high at all.

It takes a lot of quality and ruthlessness to win matches as consistently as he does, and he has never lost an overseas Test after winning the toss.

There is no doubt that he is not only an all-time great batsman but also an all-time great Test captain.

Fair enough, but realize that Kohli has had a much better team , staff and setup. Misbah was captaining after the whole spot fixing problems and soon after Pakistan was isolated from international cricket. And he had very mediocre players availible. So although not dominant he still did a great job considering what he had.

 

[Hawkeye]

The difference between Misbah and Kohli is that Misbah was not even dominant in the UAE. Not losing a home series doesn’t make you dominant; winning matches while obliterating the opposition makes you dominant.

Misbah faced South Africa in the UAE twice and failed to win the series both times.

In 2014, we need a day 5 miracle to level the series against Sri Lanka.

New Zealand drew 1-1 in 2014-15.

Even West Indies won a Test in 2016. Can you imagine Kohli’s India losing to West Indies at home?

England were literally minutes away from winning the 1st Test in 2015.

In 7 years, Misbah basically had two dominant series only - England 2012 and Australia 2014.

On the other hand, Kohli’s India have brutalized opposition at home in every series. The only competitive series was against Australia in 2017. That is it.

I don’t devalue dominance at home because wins at home do not come free. The reason why I don’t rate Misbah’s captaincy and think he was vastly inferior to Kohli is because his team was not dominant at home.

Losing Test matches to South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and West Indies at home is not called dominance.

Yes I do think Kohli is one of the greatest Test captains ever. By the age of 31, he has achieved 33 Test wins (5th most in history) at a win percentage of 60% (3rd best in history). By the time he is done, he will probably have the most Test wins in history.

People who cannot digest his success devalue him by stating that he is picking up cheap wins in a result-oriented era. The problem with that assertion is that it is also easier to lose matches in a result-oriented era, and Kohli’s rate of losing matches is not high at all.

It takes a lot of quality and ruthlessness to win matches as consistently as he does, and he has never lost an overseas Test after winning the toss.

There is no doubt that he is not only an all-time great batsman but also an all-time great Test captain.

Yes, it's true that IND has been winning more matches at home, their home win percentage is high. They also serve absolute dust bowls that turn square from day one.

Sadly, we never took advantage of proper 'spin' conditions. Anyway, even if they prepare overwhelmingly favorable conditions, that win percentage is still worth praising.

But, he hasn't done anything overseas, just like all the other average Test captains, despite a strong team. That doesn't go in his favor, i.e. doesn't make him the best.

The last truly great Test captain was Smith of South Africa. They won away as well, not just at home.

There's a reason Imran Khan is considered the best in the world - he didn't just win at home. He challenged the best at their home.

Misbah also drew a series in England. Kohli can never do that.

 

[CanadianG00se]

Yes, it's true that IND has been winning more matches at home, their home win percentage is high. They also serve absolute dust bowls that turn square from day one.

Sadly, we never took advantage of proper 'spin' conditions. Anyway, even if they prepare overwhelmingly favorable conditions, that win percentage is still worth praising.

But, he hasn't done anything overseas, just like all the other average Test captains, despite a strong team. That doesn't go in his favor, i.e. doesn't make him the best.

The last truly great Test captain was Smith of South Africa. They won away as well, not just at home.

There's a reason Imran Khan is considered the best in the world - he didn't just win at home. He challenged the best at their home.

Misbah also drew a series in England. Kohli can never do that.

What a load of Hogwash!

Apart from few matches(against SA in 2013-14, Australia 2017) most of pitches have been quite flat. Heck pitches during NZ series at home were more seamer friendly, yet NZ were completely destroyed. Even most recent series against SA, pitch were far too neutral( even SA players acknowledged that) but they were totally outplayed.

No team at this point can beat India in India regardless of pitch. Period.

 

[sweep_shot]

Kohli is like what South Africa cricket team used to be. A bilateral bully but falls short during crucial knockout games.

 

[Mamoon]

Yes, it's true that IND has been winning more matches at home, their home win percentage is high. They also serve absolute dust bowls that turn square from day one.

Sadly, we never took advantage of proper 'spin' conditions. Anyway, even if they prepare overwhelmingly favorable conditions, that win percentage is still worth praising.

But, he hasn't done anything overseas, just like all the other average Test captains, despite a strong team. That doesn't go in his favor, i.e. doesn't make him the best.

The last truly great Test captain was Smith of South Africa. They won away as well, not just at home.

There's a reason Imran Khan is considered the best in the world - he didn't just win at home. He challenged the best at their home.

Misbah also drew a series in England. Kohli can never do that.

No one considers Imran the best in the world. He is only considered the best Pakistani captain which is obviously true.

And to say that India serves dust-bowls that spin from day 1 is a gross exaggeration. That was only true for the 2015 South African series (Kohli’s first home series as captain).

For example, in the 2016 series vs England, England scored 400+ in the first innings of the 4th and 5th Tests and still lost by an innings on both occasions.

Indian pitches are actually very fair. They are very good for batting in the first two days but visiting teams still cannot win in spite of winning tosses. It is not India’s problem if the opposition cannot bat and bowl better than India even after winning the toss.

The difference between India and other teams is that when India wins the toss overseas, they win. However, when visiting teams wins the toss in India, they still lose.

 

[Mamoon]

Fair enough, but realize that Kohli has had a much better team , staff and setup. Misbah was captaining after the whole spot fixing problems and soon after Pakistan was isolated from international cricket. And he had very mediocre players availible. So although not dominant he still did a great job considering what he had.

Well Kohli has a much better team and support system but he is also a far better cricketer than Misbah.

I agree that Misbah did an adequate job under the circumstances and also as an individual considering the fact that wasn’t very talented and made his FC debut at the age of 25.

 

[Hawkeye]

What a load of Hogwash!

Apart from few matches(against SA in 2013-14, Australia 2017) most of pitches have been quite flat. Heck pitches during NZ series at home were more seamer friendly, yet NZ were completely destroyed. Even most recent series against SA, pitch were far too neutral( even SA players acknowledged that) but they were totally outplayed.

No team at this point can beat India in India regardless of pitch. Period.

Not sure about others, but the current PAK Test team certainly can win there. Or, at worse, it'll be a draw.

 

[Hawkeye]

No one considers Imran the best in the world. He is only considered the best Pakistani captain which is obviously true.

And to say that India serves dust-bowls that spin from day 1 is a gross exaggeration. That was only true for the 2015 South African series (Kohli’s first home series as captain).

For example, in the 2016 series vs England, England scored 400+ in the first innings of the 4th and 5th Tests and still lost by an innings on both occasions.

Indian pitches are actually very fair. They are very good for batting in the first two days but visiting teams still cannot win in spite of winning tosses. It is not India’s problem if the opposition cannot bat and bowl better than India even after winning the toss.

The difference between India and other teams is that when India wins the toss overseas, they win. However, when visiting teams wins the toss in India, they still lose.

Ok, I get it. Lots of home wins in bilaterals. I understand.

Nothing apart from that - so, let's wait until he achieves something else too.

 

[CanadianG00se]

Not sure about others, but the current PAK Test team certainly can win there. Or, at worse, it'll be a draw.

At best Pakistan team would avoid whitewash, defeat is probably realistic outcome. Like I said, no team at this point got what it takes to beat India in India. Pakistan recently lost to Kiwis of all team at home, whereas they are our punching bags the moment they step foot in India.

 

[Mamoon]

Not sure about others, but the current PAK Test team certainly can win there. Or, at worse, it'll be a draw.

Current Pakistan team will get smashed in India and probably lose inside 3 days. It will be as one-sided a series as India vs Sri Lanka in India.

 

[MenInG]

Gautam Gambhir, throughout his cricketing career, had been known for being a straightforward customer. The left-handed batsman rarely shied away from confrontation on the field - often getting into verbal exchanges with players from the opposition teams. Gambhir got into a verbal altercation with Shahid Afridi during an ODI match against Pakistan in Kanpur in 2007. He also found himself in trouble after allegedly elbowing Australia cricketer Shane Watson during a Test match in Delhi in 2008. He also got into a heated exchange with Virat Kohli during an encounter between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders at IPL 2013.

In a recent episode of Star Sports’ chat’ show Cricket Connected, Gambhir was asked to talk about the sledging episode he enjoyed the most. “Who did you enjoy sledging the most?” the host of the show asked.

In his reply, the former India batsman went on to talk about his exchange with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting during the first Test match between the two teams in 2008.

“Ricky Ponting, maybe. That was in 2008 when Anil Kumble was the captain. In the series when I got my double hundred. In the first Test match, I think which was in Bengaluru, he said something when I was batting,” the 38-year-old recalled.

“He was at silly point, and he said ‘you haven’t set the world on fire’. I said ‘Neither have you in India. To be honest, you have been a bunny’. His record says that as well, he’s been a bunny in India,” Gambhir, who is a currently a BJP MP, further said.

Ponting’s Test record shows that he has played 14 Tests in India in which he has scored 662 runs at an average of 26.48 with just one hundred. His record in the ODIs is slightly better, as he has played 46 ODIs in the country in which he has scored 1,736 runs at an average of 39.45 with 5 centuries.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...cky-ponting/story-5oNQba0Uxqz8WNKLZjuJNN.html

 

[Pakhs]

Well did tendulkar, dravid, kallis, sangakkara, lara all had a unfulfilled career.?
Gauti is ranting too much nowadays.

They did - Tendulkar played 6 WCs and Won 1. Same as many players who only played one or played cricket for 2/3 years. Same goes for Kallis who won even less. So they did have unfulfilled careers in some ways but not personally they achieved more than enough as single players.

 

[Pakhs]

At best Pakistan team would avoid whitewash, defeat is probably realistic outcome. Like I said, no team at this point got what it takes to beat India in India. Pakistan recently lost to Kiwis of all team at home, whereas they are our punching bags the moment they step foot in India.

NZ is a good team and just white washed India before cricket stopped due to Covid. They will give India a hard time in India too, they wont win but definitely will give hard time.

Regarding Pakistan - I think conditions in India or more closer to Pakistan than UAE so it will be easier for Pakistan to win in India than its in UAE.

 

[Pakhs]

What a load of Hogwash!

Apart from few matches(against SA in 2013-14, Australia 2017) most of pitches have been quite flat. Heck pitches during NZ series at home were more seamer friendly, yet NZ were completely destroyed. Even most recent series against SA, pitch were far too neutral( even SA players acknowledged that) but they were totally outplayed.

No team at this point can beat India in India regardless of pitch. Period.

Huge fault in your statesmen - India's overseas performances are a living proof they are reliant on home pitches to win. This is not an insult as some teams cant even win at home as regularly as India but obviously most teams are good / better at home.

 

[Pakhs]

Virat is a decent leader, not the worse but not among the best India have produced. His wins are higher in tests because of home dominance. We have some phenomenal players at home but most of them bar Kohli is mediocre away and this is where his leadership matters and till now it hasn't come out well.

I rate Kapil Dev and Ganguly higher in tests while Dhoni, Kapil and Ganguly in ODIs.

This is spot on - Virat is at best acceptable leader probably Rohit would have done a better job. In the past India had better leaders Dhoni was LOI genius. Gangully was a better test captain and Anil / Dravid also looked good but never captained for long. And if you want to go further back you have the likes of Kapil etc

 

[CanadianG00se]

NZ is a good team and just white washed India before cricket stopped due to Covid. They will give India a hard time in India too, they wont win but definitely will give hard time.

Regarding Pakistan - I think conditions in India or more closer to Pakistan than UAE so it will be easier for Pakistan to win in India than its in UAE.

I cant even remember when was the last time NZ won a test match in India. They will be like sitting duck when they come to India. They cant beat India on seamer friendly, i cant see how they would challenge us on spin friendly. Yes, we lost to them in NZ as we are horrible team on seam friendly pitches, whereas NZ are very good at it.

Pakistan may give us better competition but they will still lose. Apart from Babar, no one in Pakistan lineup has what it takes to challenge Indian spinners at home.

 

[CanadianG00se]

Huge fault in your statesmen - India's overseas performances are a living proof they are reliant on home pitches to win. This is not an insult as some teams cant even win at home as regularly as India but obviously most teams are good / better at home.

I never claimed India is regularly winner overseas, i was pointing out to someone who claimed India just produce dust bowls to win, but fact is we have produce pitches that have been batting friendly(check scorecard for India-England series). Regardless of pitch in India, no team can stop the Indian juggernaut. India have just lost test match at home in last 7 years. Ironically, that match was lost on dust bowl

 

[CanadianG00se]

NZ is a good team and just white washed India before cricket stopped due to Covid. They will give India a hard time in India too, they wont win but definitely will give hard time.

Regarding Pakistan - I think conditions in India or more closer to Pakistan than UAE so it will be easier for Pakistan to win in India than its in UAE.

Indian conditions varies from region to region, so there will be challenges too. IMO, its not the conditions that will be factot but lack of quality batsmen in Pakistani XI which will be huge factor. Pakistan have very good seam attack but lacks any quality spinner.

 

[Pakhs]

I cant even remember when was the last time NZ won a test match in India. They will be like sitting duck when they come to India. They cant beat India on seamer friendly, i cant see how they would challenge us on spin friendly. Yes, we lost to them in NZ as we are horrible team on seam friendly pitches, whereas NZ are very good at it.

Pakistan may give us better competition but they will still lose. Apart from Babar, no one in Pakistan lineup has what it takes to challenge Indian spinners at home.

As I said neither of the two teams would win in India but the have potential to cause an upset. Pakistan would be better placed than UAE because Indian conditions are real close to home.

NZ is a good team and they can potentially cause an upset.

 

[Pakhs]

Indian conditions varies from region to region, so there will be challenges too. IMO, its not the conditions that will be factot but lack of quality batsmen in Pakistani XI which will be huge factor. Pakistan have very good seam attack but lacks any quality spinner.

Pakistan batting is not strong but they will better on Indian pitches giving Pakistan bowling a better chance to compete with India. Which has happened in the past two. Pakistan batting line has always been below par with India but were still able to score just as much due to familiarity with subcontinental pitches.

 

[NishanKonar]

Pakistan batting is not strong but they will better on Indian pitches giving Pakistan bowling a better chance to compete with India. Which has happened in the past two. Pakistan batting line has always been below par with India but were still able to score just as much due to familiarity with subcontinental pitches.

That was more due to superior bowling attack of Pakistan in the past which allowed them to keep Indian batsman in check

Right now India's bowling is way superior to Pakistan - both spin & pace.

 

[someone21]

GG is right. It's not a criticism of Kohli but a sign of the huge expectations with Kohli which he has failed to deliver so far.

He was meant to be the mix of Sachin + Dhoni. The greatest Indian batsman and captain in one. Although, he still has good time in his career.

 

[CanadianG00se]

Pakistan batting is not strong but they will better on Indian pitches giving Pakistan bowling a better chance to compete with India. Which has happened in the past two. Pakistan batting line has always been below par with India but were still able to score just as much due to familiarity with subcontinental pitches.

Indian spinners are world class and really know how to choke opposition batsmen. As I have said apart from Babar, I just don’t see anyone stand up to Ashwin-Jaddu combo. Not to mention, this time around India also got pretty solid seamers who can bowl reverse swing with old ball. I just don’t see India losing to anyone at home.

 

[MenInG]

Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has said that 'the whole world knows it already', when asked about the Pakistan player with whom he enjoyed having a verbal duel. While not naming Shahid Afridi directly, Gautam Gambhir added that he loved his exchanges with the former Pakistan all-rounder.

Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman spoke about their greatest rivalries with Pakistani cricketers on the Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

On being asked which Pakistan player they enjoyed competing against the most, VVS Laxman opted for Shoaib Akhtar.

"It has to be someone like Shoaib Akhtar. Because he was probably the quickest bowler in world cricket at that time along with Brett Lee. Playing against him was always going to be challenging and he always was up to the fight."

Gautam Gambhir, on the other hand, picked the former Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal as he found it difficult to pick his Doosra under lights.

"One battle which I thoroughly enjoyed was against Saeed Ajmal. Because Ajmal was probably one of the toughest off-spinners I have faced, especially under lights as we couldn't pick his Doosra. And the speed with which he used to bowl at, he was very very lethal."
When further asked about the Pakistani player with whom he enjoyed a verbal duel the most, Gautam Gambhir smiled and replied that it was no secret, without taking the name of Shahid Afridi.

"The world knows about that. I absolutely loved it and even now."

https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/the-world-knows-that-gautam-gambhir-verbal-duel-enjoyed

 

[Pakhs]

That was more due to superior bowling attack of Pakistan in the past which allowed them to keep Indian batsman in check

Right now India's bowling is way superior to Pakistan - both spin & pace.

I disagree - Pakistan bowlers actually dont have great record against Indian batting lineup due to playing on flat decks but it was the batting who always did the job.

 

[MenInG]

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes that the Virat Kohli-led side has the bowling attack to rattle the Australian batting line up including Steve Smith and David Warner, who were serving ball-tampering bans in the previous series Down Under. (More Cricket News)

India are slated to tour Australia in November for a gruelling four-Test series.

"Because India has got the bowling attack to rattle the Australian batting line-up even with David Warner and Steve Smith, but yeah, it’s going to be a different challenge than what it was last time around," Gambhir said on Star Sports show 'Cricket Connected'.

"So, you would want Virat Kohli to fire plus the bowlers as well because it’s the bowlers that will win you the Test matches," added the southpaw.

Last time in 2018-19, India registered their first-ever Test series win in Australia but Australia missed the services of Smith and Warner.

Gambhir, who was part of the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup-winning teams, said this time it will be a different challenge for the visitors.

"Whether it was his (Kohli's) first tour, whether it was second tour, this time around, obviously, he (Kohli) would be gearing up for it because it’s going to be a different challenge with David Warner and Steve Smith coming back into the Australian Test line-up," he said.

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...t-he-has-a-lot-to-achieve-quot-Gautam-Gambhir

 

[ManFan]

He’s built a great home record and won an overseas Australian series (albeit against a depleted team).

But those are not enough to qualify him as one of the great captains in my opinion.

He still has a lot to learn to achieve what is so near his grasp.

 

[Ab Fan]

Test championship win will certainly help.

Dont have any expectations on Aus tour though. Australia have better batting and better bowling attack and are playing at home.

 

[daytrader]

"That was a nothing shot, neither forward, neither back. I think was a bit casual. That's what you get when you play someone like Shaheen Afridi. You don't know whether to go forward or back," - Gautam Gambhir on Star Sports commentary.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]