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Virat Kohli vs Sarfaraz Ahmed - Who is the better captain?

Aman said:
Kohli is an awful captain, should give over the captaincy to Rohit in LOIs and Rahane in Tests.

But he wont because he's gotten rid of people who can get him out and he knows it wont be good for his brand.

The only way he goes is if he steps down and that doesn't seem very likely unless he faces fan backlash, in which case he has no choice but to step down.
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Will rahane be in team long enough?

Ashwin should be test captan
 
100% agreed, its MA who is taking all the fearless decisions outside the field, to make sure we are competitive enough on the field. Remove MA , and we are back to our Golden days of meekness.

Eagle_Eye said:
The reason you see the "upgrade" is because Mickey is doing back seat driving and some fearless cricketers emerging in this period.

Take Mickey away and you will see the scared Sarfraz coming out in full glory.
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lol it's incredible how Pakistani fans compare Virat Kohli with someone whose specialty is nothing but yelling at his teammates. I would take a captain like Kohli any day of the week. Virat Kohli is THE BEST captain a team can wish for. He is a legend and should not be compared with a nobody like Sarfraz whose best performance in last 2 years has been in a T20 against Zimbabwe.
 
Pakistan's success as a team has been due to emergence of good young talent in the shape of Hassan, Fakher,Shadab. It has nothing to do with a non performing specialist captain leading the team. Lol. When we really need him to lead from the front his legs are shaking and he gifts his wicket like a tailender.
 
MRSN said:
lol it's incredible how Pakistani fans compare Virat Kohli with someone whose specialty is nothing but yelling at his teammates. I would take a captain like Kohli any day of the week. Virat Kohli is THE BEST captain a team can wish for. He is a legend and should not be compared with a nobody like Sarfraz whose best performance in last 2 years has been in a T20 against Zimbabwe.
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Sarfraz has outperformed THE BEST captain a team can wish for on the England tours this season.
 
Usman Chadda said:
Sarfraz has outperformed THE BEST captain a team can wish for on the England tours this season.
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You cannot compare a five match Test series with a two match Test series. For all we know, Mr. BEST captain could have lost the series 4-1, which may well be the score line for this series.

India were very close to winning the first Tes. Ultimately, it came down to a great rearguard knock by Curran. India were without Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah, their two frontline pacers. Had they played, things might have turned out differently.

Similarly, Pakistan played well in the first Test but got thumped in the second Test like Kohli’s team - small margins in the end.

India have been competitive in every overseas Test that they have played this year except for the last Test.

On the other hand, Sarfraz has done nothing as Test captain so far. He got embarrassed at home by Sri Lanka and has a 2-3 Test record so far, which is far from impressive.

If Sarfraz leads Pakistan to a series win in South Africa later this year and if he makes Pakistan dominant in the UAE, he will obviously have a claim of being a better captain than Kohli.

As of now, with only five games under his belt, it is a joke to compare them. Kohli has made India a consistent Test team which is why they have a clear lead at the top. You don’t win games automatically in favorable conditions and you still have to play well, something that Sarfraz learned the hard way against Sri Lanka in the UAE.
 
Usman Chadda said:
Sarfraz has outperformed THE BEST captain a team can wish for on the England tours this season.
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I have seen quite a lot of Sarfraz as a captain to make this bold statement that he is nothing but a coward hiding behind other players when it comes to his own performances. and I don't take any captain serious if he can't walk the talk. Sarfraz specialty is what? other players performing and hiding his joke of batting and keeping performances? Captaincy is not just about how many games you win. It's first and foremost about whether you lead the team from the front or not. Sarfraz can't even make team on merit let alone lead from the front.
 
We all saw how captain specialist was hiding behind the likes of Immad and Hafeez in the champions trophy final when it should have been his turn to show the world he is a leader not just a puppet of PCB.
 
MRSN said:
I have seen quite a lot of Sarfraz as a captain to make this bold statement that he is nothing but a coward hiding behind other players when it comes to his own performances. and I don't take any captain serious if he can't walk the talk. Sarfraz specialty is what? other players performing and hiding his joke of batting and keeping performances? Captaincy is not just about how many games you win. It's first and foremost about whether you lead the team from the front or not. Sarfraz can't even make team on merit let alone lead from the front.
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Kami back then?
 
MRSN said:
We all saw how captain specialist was hiding behind the likes of Immad and Hafeez in the champions trophy final when it should have been his turn to show the world he is a leader not just a puppet of PCB.
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Puppet of PCB :danish Because he didn't overestimate his own batting ability? That's not exactly logical.
 
Kohli's captaincy getting some flak from Holding and Nasser.

They aren't impressed with his field placements during the latter part of each over, allowing Buttler to retain strike for the next over.
 
Abdullah719 said:
Puppet of PCB :danish Because he didn't overestimate his own batting ability? That's not exactly logical.
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Honestly, the comment you are responding to is another level of nonsense.

At domestic level, the general trend is things go well seniors go out to bat/bowl, and when things are tough they send the juniors out.

Sarfaraz is cut from a different cloth thankfully. Tbh, he would have done a better job than Imad but he selflessly sent Imad out to bat for the last 10 overs or so. A selfish captain would have gone out and batted himself given the platform that was set but Sarfaraz acted in the interests of the team.
 
Kohli wins a game Pakistan fans reaction: "He has a good team . Nothing to do with his captaincy". Yet you same people say Indian attack is minnow level and rubbish .

Sarfraz wins a game Pakistan fans reaction: " Best captain since IK ". But you same people say our bowling attack is one of the best in the world so surely he should be winning a majority of games with one of the best attacks in the world.

The challenge is to not call Indian attack rubbish but to still downplay his achievements as captain despite having a rubbish attack according to PP experts.

The hypocrisy is mind boggling.
 
Hasan123 said:
Kohli wins a game Pakistan fans reaction: "He has a good team . Nothing to do with his captaincy". Yet you same people say Indian attack is minnow level and rubbish .

Sarfraz wins a game Pakistan fans reaction: " Best captain since IK ". But you same people say our bowling attack is one of the best in the world so surely he should be winning a majority of games with one of the best attacks in the world.

The challenge is to not call Indian attack rubbish but to still downplay his achievements as captain despite having a rubbish attack according to PP experts.

The hypocrisy is mind boggling.
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"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."
 
Abdullah719 said:
Kohli's captaincy getting some flak from Holding and Nasser.

They aren't impressed with his field placements during the latter part of each over, allowing Buttler to retain strike for the next over.
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The “Whispering Death” is having the week of his life. I hope he is okay.
 
Hasan123 said:
Kohli wins a game Pakistan fans reaction: "He has a good team . Nothing to do with his captaincy". Yet you same people say Indian attack is minnow level and rubbish .

Sarfraz wins a game Pakistan fans reaction: " Best captain since IK ". But you same people say our bowling attack is one of the best in the world so surely he should be winning a majority of games with one of the best attacks in the world.

The challenge is to not call Indian attack rubbish but to still downplay his achievements as captain despite having a rubbish attack according to PP experts.

The hypocrisy is mind boggling.
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You talk as though you are the biggest expert on this forum :))
 
Virat receiving yet more criticism for his (defensive) captaincy.
 
[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] [MENTION=147347]Canford Cliffs[/MENTION] [MENTION=134809]sensible-indian-fan[/MENTION]

It's sessions like this why I put Sarfraz's captaincy (Not performance, of course) far ahead of Kohli. Hes let the game drift at a critical time. Sure, the new ball is coming, but the second that wicket fell, Bumrah and Shami should have been on
 
InziRules said:
[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] [MENTION=147347]Canford Cliffs[/MENTION] [MENTION=134809]sensible-indian-fan[/MENTION]

It's sessions like this why I put Sarfraz's captaincy (Not performance, of course) far ahead of Kohli. Hes let the game drift at a critical time. Sure, the new ball is coming, but the second that wicket fell, Bumrah and Shami should have been on
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You have to make choices immediately , sometimes what you plan does not pay off. Its part of the game.
 
So a feature of Kohli's captaincy us letting games drift especially overseas which is exactly what Dhoni used to do. The bowling is better but the captaincy isn't quite there
 
Sarfaraz wipes the floor with Kohli as captain.
 
Apart from leading from front (which Sarfi lacks) and backing fast bowlers, i see nothing in Kohlis captaincy. Especially he was poor against the lower order and seemed to have no plans.
 
SarfiBabarHaris said:
Kohlis captaincy has let his team down. 2 matches harwaye hain.
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His captaincy literally made no sense in this test. His captaincy was a big reason India lost this test from winning position(s).

How can you have a team 86-6 in the first innings and set defensive fields?

Then in the third innings he bowls an under-performing Ashwin without change for app. 30 overs and refuses to take the new ball.

Even when he took the new ball he gave it to Ashwin straight away, when it was the seamers who had looked the most dangerous.

Then when Curran was batting with the tail and looking for quick runs to extend the lead, Kohli was giving him an easy single on the fifth and sixth ball so Curran could retain the strike.

Pretty much every expert has been critical of his captaincy, but the problem is Kohli is surrounded by yes-man and as a result everyone is too scared to disagree with him.

And then some posters here tell us we are the deluded ones when he say Sarfaraz is a better captain!
 
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mak36 said:
His captaincy literally made no sense in this test. His captaincy was a big reason India lost this test from winning position(s).

How can you have a team 86-6 in the first innings and set defensive fields?

Then in the third innings he bowls an under-performing Ashwin without change for app. 30 overs and refuses to take the new ball.

Even when he took the new ball he gave it to Ashwin straight away, when it was the seamers who had looked the most dangerous.

Then when Curran was batting with the tail and looking for quick runs to extend the lead, Kohli was giving him an easy single on the fifth and sixth ball so Curran could retain the strike.

Pretty much every expert has been critical of his captaincy, but the problem is Kohli is surrounded by yes-man and as a result everyone is too scared to disagree with him.

And then some posters here tell us we are the deluded ones when he say Sarfaraz is a better captain!
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Nice analysis.
This series could have been won if not for his poor captaincy. I have gained respect for his batting but he is a poor captain. Cant believe people dont see the obvious. Btw he can score runs without being captain.
 
SarfiBabarHaris said:
Nice analysis.
This series could have been won if not for his poor captaincy. I have gained respect for his batting but he is a poor captain. Cant believe people dont see the obvious. Btw he can score runs without being captain.
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Agreed. Rahane is a better option.

People underestimate the value of a good captain. This trend of making your best batsman captain needs to stop; England are making the same mistake with Root it seems.
 
mak36 said:
Agreed. Rahane is a better option.

People underestimate the value of a good captain. This trend of making your best batsman captain needs to stop; England are making the same mistake with Root it seems.
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Yep SA did it with AB too.

Think we are in minority when it comes to rating value of a good captain. On winning singlehandedly debate: I personally believe there are more chances a good captain can win matches with his decisions rather than a player with his batting bowling or fielding.
 
Top 3 batsmen India has produced and one of the worse captain India has chosen to lead.
 
kuskash said:
Kohli has yet to be complete washed at home by SL or any other team.
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Kohli is also yet to win a world tournament or even draw a test series in England both of which are bigger achievements than anything Kohli has managed so far.
 
Wrong comparison!! In test Sarfraz is really new and have not captained enough by his own admission he recently said he is still learning as he is new. In ODIs however we can compare as both have some success and are good captains. Sarfraz might just be better in ODIs.
 
Yeah it's Kohli's fault his team could not chase 100 odd runs with 7 wickets in hand. twice. Give me a break! Sarfraz Ahmed is only good at yelling at his own team mates and walking back to pavillion with shaky legs when he is expected to play a captain's knock. There is no comparison between Sarfraz and Kohli. Kohli can handle himself in the heat moments and even though he scores enough runs to actually have shout moments like Sarfraz he controls himself. He is a very humble player and captain unlile Sarfraz who shows his paindoo mentality when his young bowlers gets hit for a six. Totally disgusting antics by Sarfraz towards young players.

Kohli has proved here that he is by far the best captain in the world. No captain has dominated in foriegn conditions lile he has. It takes a lot of courage to perform so consistently as a captain. Also he has done a very decent job as a captain. Even though India has lost the series they have been very competetive. It's all because Kohli's heroics as a player. He can't dp much if other batsmen are failing to chase down 100 odd runs on flat pitches.
 
Sarfraz fans can screem how much of a better captain he is , the fact is no one will care for Sarfraz once he has retired whilst Kohli will be remembered for generations to come.

Sarfraz best performances when capataining have been when someone else has done the work to make him look good . Whilst Kohli has led from the front with the bat.

Tactics aren't the only thing to judge a captain by but we'll see how Sarfraz does against in the next few months. Such a great tactican should be able to win the upcoming series in ODIs and tests.
 
Hasan123 said:
Sarfraz fans can screem how much of a better captain he is , the fact is no one will care for Sarfraz once he has retired whilst Kohli will be remembered for generations to come.

Sarfraz best performances when capataining have been when someone else has done the work to make him look good . Whilst Kohli has led from the front with the bat.

Tactics aren't the only thing to judge a captain by but we'll see how Sarfraz does against in the next few months. Such a great tactican should be able to win the upcoming series in ODIs and tests.
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The thing is that this thread is about who's the better captain, but it seems you're interested in discussing everything besides captaincy :yk2

Agree with the last paragraph.
 
Hasan123 said:
Sarfraz fans can screem how much of a better captain he is , the fact is no one will care for Sarfraz once he has retired whilst Kohli will be remembered for generations to come.

Sarfraz best performances when capataining have been when someone else has done the work to make him look good . Whilst Kohli has led from the front with the bat.

Tactics aren't the only thing to judge a captain by but we'll see how Sarfraz does against in the next few months. Such a great tactican should be able to win the upcoming series in ODIs and tests.
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Umm, because Kohli is a much better player maybe?
 
Questions will be asked about Virat Kohli's captaincy: Sunil Gavaskar

Virat Kohli might have exceeded expectations as a batsman but he has a long way to go as far as captaincy is concerned. Since taking over MS Dhoni as Test captain in 2014, Kohli has had tasted success on the tours of West Indies and Sri Lanka and has built an impenetrable fort at home. But his last two overseas assignments, in South Africa and currently in England, have resulted in defeats which have put a dent on his leadership skills.

Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar feels that since people saw potential in Kohli’s captaincy, not living up to the expectations might lead to questions over whether he has done enough as a leader. On the ongoing tour of England, on several occasions, his decisions have been put under the microscope. For example, persisting with an extra spinner when the conditions demanded a fast bowler in the rain-affected Lord’s Test which resulted in a humiliating defeat for the world’s No. 1 Test team.

“Everybody would be disappointed looking at the result because when Virat Kohli took over as captain, it seemed like the team would head into a new direction under him,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying by India Today on Monday. “The team looked hungry to win and seemed more hopeful of doing well under Kohli. Everyone thought that he will bring in a lot more josh, a lot more energy into the team. So quite naturally, there will be questions asked about his captaincy.”

Gavaskar felt the polar opposite personalities of Kohli and his predecessor Dhoni gave an impression that India will see the introduction of a fresh approach and the team that has traditionally struggled in overseas conditions, will finally began tasting success.

“Yes, when Virat took over captaincy, everybody thought that it will be a completely different way because you had MSD [MS Dhoni] who was cool, calm and collected and here was somebody who was very passionate. Not that being calm, cool and collected means that you are not passionate about winning but here was a person who had a completely different approach and outlook to the game.

“Everybody knew that the three toughest series for India was going to be in South Africa, England and the forthcoming Australia tour. Before this all that India played were more like practice tours in Sri Lanka and West Indies,” Gavaskar added.

Against Australia, during their home Test series last year, India lost the opening game but came back strongly to seal the series 2-1 and that, as per Gavaskar, was an indication that this team, led by Kohli, will excel in testing circumstances.

“Even the way in which India came back to beat Australia in the Test series last year after losing the first match, that gave us the impression that India wouldn’t back down to any challenge under captain Kohli. It seemed India would always play with their heads held high. But the captain is only as good as his team. As a batsman Kohli has lived up to the expectations and even more. He has done everything possible as a batsman,” he said.

https://www.cricketcountry.com/news...-virat-kohlis-captaincy-sunil-gavaskar-742141
 
Abdullah719 said:
The thing is that this thread is about who's the better captain, but it seems you're interested in discussing everything besides captaincy :yk2

Agree with the last paragraph.
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Kohli isn't a great tactican. He leads from the front with his batting and work ethic. He's also a good man manager.

Not every captain is a great tactican. And Sarfraz is not a revolutionary tactican. He is also a better man manager than tactican.
 
This really is not a comparison. Sarfraz has built a legacy of minnow-bashing while Kohli has made India into the most dominant Test team at home and a competitive unit away. In Test cricket, apart from the Lord's Test, Sarfraz has done nothing yet - in fact, he lead Pakistan to a humiliating home defeat to Sri Lanka, a team that will never in a Test in India in a million years, let alone win a series.

People are quick to brush that aside because of the mistake of not playing two spinners, and it appears that they are blaming all of that on Mickey.

Hence, there are two possibilities:

(1) Sarfraz is just a yes man to Mickey and cannot overrule his decision. He has played enough cricket in the UAE to know that you cannot operate without two spinners. If he cannot communicate that to the coach and cannot impose his decision as captain, what does that say about him as a leader? This further reinforces the idea that he is 'bheegi billi' in front of Mickey and the senior players, and can only shout at young players who perform better than him and make lesser mistakes.

(2) If Sarfraz was part of the decision to play only one specialist spinner, then what does it say about him as a tactician? After playing in the UAE for years, has he not realized that you cannot do well without two specialist spinners?

His fans can perform all the mental gymnastics that they want, but they cannot defend the humiliation that Pakistan suffered at the hands of Sri Lanka due to the tactical mistake of playing one special spinner, and Sarfraz must be blamed for it.

People are basing everything on the Champions Trophy Final, but Kohli also took his team to the final. Yes his got thrashed, but cricket is a game of fine margins. The fact that Bumrah bowled that no-ball had nothing to do with the captaincy of Kohli or Sarfraz. It was just one match and India had an off-day.

A full-strength India will beat a full-strength Pakistan more often than not, regardless of how much our fans clamor that Sarfraz is a better tactician than Kohli. Furthermore, the perceived improvement of Pakistan under Sarfraz is a bit of a false hope because we have played too many matches against minnows and weak opponents, and we got pummeled in the only tough ODI series that we have played after the Champions Trophy. If Sarfraz was that brilliant a tactician, surely he would have won at least one match in the New Zealand ODI series.

Kohli is not the best tactician in the world, but he is an inspirational captain who leads the way with his performance and work ethic. No Indian player works harder and shows more desire and commitment. The notion that India should relieve him of captaincy duties is wishful thinking.

A player of his stature and personality cannot function under another captain, and it will not be fair to the new captain either. He is aggressive, dominating and the spotlight is always on him. He is the face of Indian cricket and another captain cannot operate under him. Yes Tendulkar was also the god of Indian cricket when he was playing under other captains, but Tendulkar had a very different personality and demeanor. He was quiet, shy and had no presence on the field.

Meek characters like Rahane, Pujara, Ashwin etc. cannot lead this Indian team and handle the pressure and expectations, especially with Kohli in the team at the peak of his powers. People might give the example of Kohli taking over from a legendary captain like Dhoni and it did not prove to be a problem, but Dhoni was not in his prime and he was already surpassed by Kohli as the biggest superstar in Indian cricket.

Maybe in 5-6 years time someone can took over from Kohli, but it is simply not possible today. It will not work.
 
Mamoon said:
This really is not a comparison. Sarfraz has built a legacy of minnow-bashing while Kohli has made India into the most dominant Test team at home and a competitive unit away. In Test cricket, apart from the Lord's Test, Sarfraz has done nothing yet - in fact, he lead Pakistan to a humiliating home defeat to Sri Lanka, a team that will never in a Test in India in a million years, let alone win a series.

People are quick to brush that aside because of the mistake of not playing two spinners, and it appears that they are blaming all of that on Mickey.

Hence, there are two possibilities:

(1) Sarfraz is just a yes man to Mickey and cannot overrule his decision. He has played enough cricket in the UAE to know that you cannot operate without two spinners. If he cannot communicate that to the coach and cannot impose his decision as captain, what does that say about him as a leader? This further reinforces the idea that he is 'bheegi billi' in front of Mickey and the senior players, and can only shout at young players who perform better than him and make lesser mistakes.

(2) If Sarfraz was part of the decision to play only one specialist spinner, then what does it say about him as a tactician? After playing in the UAE for years, has he not realized that you cannot do well without two specialist spinners?

His fans can perform all the mental gymnastics that they want, but they cannot defend the humiliation that Pakistan suffered at the hands of Sri Lanka due to the tactical mistake of playing one special spinner, and Sarfraz must be blamed for it.

People are basing everything on the Champions Trophy Final, but Kohli also took his team to the final. Yes his got thrashed, but cricket is a game of fine margins. The fact that Bumrah bowled that no-ball had nothing to do with the captaincy of Kohli or Sarfraz. It was just one match and India had an off-day.

A full-strength India will beat a full-strength Pakistan more often than not, regardless of how much our fans clamor that Sarfraz is a better tactician than Kohli. Furthermore, the perceived improvement of Pakistan under Sarfraz is a bit of a false hope because we have played too many matches against minnows and weak opponents, and we got pummeled in the only tough ODI series that we have played after the Champions Trophy. If Sarfraz was that brilliant a tactician, surely he would have won at least one match in the New Zealand ODI series.

Kohli is not the best tactician in the world, but he is an inspirational captain who leads the way with his performance and work ethic. No Indian player works harder and shows more desire and commitment. The notion that India should relieve him of captaincy duties is wishful thinking.

A player of his stature and personality cannot function under another captain, and it will not be fair to the new captain either. He is aggressive, dominating and the spotlight is always on him. He is the face of Indian cricket and another captain cannot operate under him. Yes Tendulkar was also the god of Indian cricket when he was playing under other captains, but Tendulkar had a very different personality and demeanor. He was quiet, shy and had no presence on the field.

Meek characters like Rahane, Pujara, Ashwin etc. cannot lead this Indian team and handle the pressure and expectations, especially with Kohli in the team at the peak of his powers. People might give the example of Kohli taking over from a legendary captain like Dhoni and it did not prove to be a problem, but Dhoni was not in his prime and he was already surpassed by Kohli as the biggest superstar in Indian cricket.

Maybe in 5-6 years time someone can took over from Kohli, but it is simply not possible today. It will not work.
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+1. Agreed completely. Kohli will continue to lead his team for a few more years until he faces downfall with the bat.

We have seen so many cricketers, while taking the captaincy, went through slump with the bat and their batting gets affected massively after taking the responsibility of captaincy. However, this hasn't been the case with Kohli and even he has taken his game to an altogether different level with the bat after donning the captaincy role.

Like Ponting, he inspires his team with his sheer run-scoring ability and worth ethic for the game.
 
Mamoon said:
Sarfraz is just a yes man to Mickey and cannot overrule his decision. He has played enough cricket in the UAE to know that you cannot operate without two spinners. If he cannot communicate that to the coach and cannot impose his decision as captain, what does that say about him as a leader? This further reinforces the idea that he is 'bheegi billi' in front of Mickey and the senior players, and can only shout at young players who perform better than him and make lesser mistakes.
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No captain should act like a dictator in his team. A captain is expected to take suggestions from his coach and then add his own idea with it to make the final plan. I Don't think the idea of playing only one spinner against a weak team like Srilanka at home was really a bad idea, especially if u consider the fact that SL batters r generally good against spin bowling.

If a good test team like Pakistan don't experiment with their lineup against a weak opposition like SL at home, how r they supposed to know which formations work best for the team. I ain't saying that Sarfaraz doesn't give preferential treatment to the seniors, but my objection is about the way u r accusing him as a bhegi billi.


I would personally take a captain who listens to others suggestion over a tyrant like Kohli who only wants yes man in his team. INDIA was doing great under Kumble as the head coach who brought back discipline in the indian team, but it went against the authoritative nature of Kohli. So, what did kohli do? In order to boost his misplaced ego, he kicked out a hard working coach like Kumble and replaced him with his favourite pal, his yes man Shastri. What's even more surprising is the fact that the main drama of kicking out Kumble out of his coaching role took place just couple a day before all important CT final against arch rival Pakistan.

This just further illustrates the point that neither kohli cares for his players nor does he care for the indian team. He only cares for his own batting record, his status as a player and his authority over the team. No respectable player in his right mind would like to have a captain of Kohli's nature in his team.

Mamoon said:
Kohli is not the best tactician in the world, but he is an inspirational captain who leads the way with his performance and work ethic. No Indian player works harder and shows more desire and commitment. The notion that India should relieve him of captaincy duties is wishful thinking.

A player of his stature and personality cannot function under another captain, and it will not be fair to the new captain either. He is aggressive, dominating and the spotlight is always on him. He is the face of Indian cricket and another captain cannot operate under him. Yes Tendulkar was also the god of Indian cricket when he was playing under other captains, but Tendulkar had a very different personality and demeanor. He was quiet, shy and had no presence on the field.
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I personally wouldn't get inspired if the leader of my team changed the team combination like a musical chair to keep his bosom friends in his team. No wonder no Indian player works harder or shows commitment under him anymore. Why would they?

How would a batsman get confidance if their selection in the team depends on the personal whim of a dictator like Kohli. Barring the last test, kohli hasn't fielded the same team in two consecutive tests in his whole career as the test captain of India to show his authority over the team selection and to keep every other Indian player subservient to him. Apart from kohli not a single batsman in the current Indian lineup is a guaranteed strater. Not surprising that all of them r short in confidence and batting like tailenders of late.
 
RainMan_ said:
No captain should act like a dictator in his team. A captain is expected to take suggestions from his coach and then add his own idea with it to make the final plan. I Don't think the idea of playing only one spinner against a weak team like Srilanka at home was really a bad idea, especially if u consider the fact that SL batters r generally good against spin bowling.

If a good test team like Pakistan don't experiment with their lineup against a weak opposition like SL at home, how r they supposed to know which formations work best for the team. I ain't saying that Sarfaraz doesn't give preferential treatment to the seniors, but my objection is about the way u r accusing him as a bhegi billi.


I would personally take a captain who listens to others suggestion over a tyrant like Kohli who only wants yes man in his team. INDIA was doing great under Kumble as the head coach who brought back discipline in the indian team, but it went against the authoritative nature of Kohli. So, what did kohli do? In order to boost his misplaced ego, he kicked out a hard working coach like Kumble and replaced him with his favourite pal, his yes man Shastri. What's even more surprising is the fact that the main drama of kicking out Kumble out of his coaching role took place just couple a day before all important CT final against arch rival Pakistan.

This just further illustrates the point that neither kohli cares for his players nor does he care for the indian team. He only cares for his own batting record, his status as a player and his authority over the team. No respectable player in his right mind would like to have a captain of Kohli's nature in his team.



I personally wouldn't get inspired if the leader of my team changed the team combination like a musical chair to keep his bosom friends in his team. No wonder no Indian player works harder or shows commitment under him anymore. Why would they?

How would a batsman get confidance if their selection in the team depends on the personal whim of a dictator like Kohli. Barring the last test, kohli hasn't fielded the same team in two consecutive tests in his whole career as the test captain of India to show his authority over the team selection and to keep every other Indian player subservient to him. Apart from kohli not a single batsman in the current Indian lineup is a guaranteed strater. Not surprising that all of them r short in confidence and batting like tailenders of late.
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When the stature of a player reaches the heights of Kohli, the role of the coach becomes secondary. Look at all the ATG players in history who were also captains for long period of time. What did the coaches do at that time?

Australia won so much when Buchanan was coach, but everyone knew he was on a paid holiday. That was Ponting’s team and they had 5-6 elite players who did the job on their own.

Only weak captains like Sarfraz who cannot lead the way with their performances need to ride on the coattails of their coaches. The coach of an international cricket team is largely a ceremonial position, provided that you have a strong captain who sets the bar with his performance and commands respect around the world.

Kohli for all his so-called inconsistent selection policies has made India the most powerful team at home and a competitive unit away. He has earned the right to shape the team he wants not just as a player but as a captain as well.

The outlook towards fast bowling in India has changed in his tenure for good, but the big issue for him is that the other batsmen are not pulling their weight.

Uncertainty over their places in the team cannot be used to excuse the low returns of Dhawan, Vijay, Rahul, Rahane and Pujara.

These are five specialist batsmen who have been in a rut over the last 7 Tests, and collectively they have only produced one hundred, and they have played enough cricket to not forget how to hold a bat just because they are not certain that they will play the next game. Well if they start scoring runs, they will play.

Kohli has made mistakes and he will make them in the future as well. Every captain does, but India have no choice but to back them. Do you honestly think someone like Rahane and Pujara can do a better job, when they can barely handle the pressure of their own batting these days?

Captaining the Indian team is probably the most high pressure job in cricket. 1.3 billion cricket mad people and a crazy media that is always hungry for blood.

No indian can survive in the job unless they can handle the pressure and lead the way with their own performance. Even Tendulkar could not do that, and neither do the likes of Rahane and Pujara have the guts to do the job. Indian captaincy is not for weak, timid characters.
 
I have a strong feeling Pakistan will win a world cup under Sarfraz.

That will be massive. U19 WC, CT, WC under his belt as captain. Certainly this cant be just luck.

Will rate him over Imran if he achieves that. Trophies are remembered more than bilateral series even for a crazy cricket fan like me.
 
Hasan123 said:
Kohli isn't a great tactican. He leads from the front with his batting and work ethic. He's also a good man manager.

Not every captain is a great tactican. And Sarfraz is not a revolutionary tactican. He is also a better man manager than tactican.
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That was for everyone to see when he decided to pick one spinner in the SL series where we got whitewashed.

Sarfraz might be a good tactician in ODIs but like you said he is no revolutionary that enables him to surpass Kohli, who on the other hand discarded Ashwin and Jadeja in LOIs following the CT and backed new blood in Kuldeep and Chahal who are justifying their selections with their outstanding LOI bowling performances.
 
Mamoon said:
This really is not a comparison. Sarfraz has built a legacy of minnow-bashing while Kohli has made India into the most dominant Test team at home and a competitive unit away. In Test cricket, apart from the Lord's Test, Sarfraz has done nothing yet - in fact, he lead Pakistan to a humiliating home defeat to Sri Lanka, a team that will never in a Test in India in a million years, let alone win a series.

People are quick to brush that aside because of the mistake of not playing two spinners, and it appears that they are blaming all of that on Mickey.

Hence, there are two possibilities:

(1) Sarfraz is just a yes man to Mickey and cannot overrule his decision. He has played enough cricket in the UAE to know that you cannot operate without two spinners. If he cannot communicate that to the coach and cannot impose his decision as captain, what does that say about him as a leader? This further reinforces the idea that he is 'bheegi billi' in front of Mickey and the senior players, and can only shout at young players who perform better than him and make lesser mistakes.

(2) If Sarfraz was part of the decision to play only one specialist spinner, then what does it say about him as a tactician? After playing in the UAE for years, has he not realized that you cannot do well without two specialist spinners?

His fans can perform all the mental gymnastics that they want, but they cannot defend the humiliation that Pakistan suffered at the hands of Sri Lanka due to the tactical mistake of playing one special spinner, and Sarfraz must be blamed for it.

People are basing everything on the Champions Trophy Final, but Kohli also took his team to the final. Yes his got thrashed, but cricket is a game of fine margins. The fact that Bumrah bowled that no-ball had nothing to do with the captaincy of Kohli or Sarfraz. It was just one match and India had an off-day.

A full-strength India will beat a full-strength Pakistan more often than not, regardless of how much our fans clamor that Sarfraz is a better tactician than Kohli. Furthermore, the perceived improvement of Pakistan under Sarfraz is a bit of a false hope because we have played too many matches against minnows and weak opponents, and we got pummeled in the only tough ODI series that we have played after the Champions Trophy. If Sarfraz was that brilliant a tactician, surely he would have won at least one match in the New Zealand ODI series.

Kohli is not the best tactician in the world, but he is an inspirational captain who leads the way with his performance and work ethic. No Indian player works harder and shows more desire and commitment. The notion that India should relieve him of captaincy duties is wishful thinking.

A player of his stature and personality cannot function under another captain, and it will not be fair to the new captain either. He is aggressive, dominating and the spotlight is always on him. He is the face of Indian cricket and another captain cannot operate under him. Yes Tendulkar was also the god of Indian cricket when he was playing under other captains, but Tendulkar had a very different personality and demeanor. He was quiet, shy and had no presence on the field.

Meek characters like Rahane, Pujara, Ashwin etc. cannot lead this Indian team and handle the pressure and expectations, especially with Kohli in the team at the peak of his powers. People might give the example of Kohli taking over from a legendary captain like Dhoni and it did not prove to be a problem, but Dhoni was not in his prime and he was already surpassed by Kohli as the biggest superstar in Indian cricket.

Maybe in 5-6 years time someone can took over from Kohli, but it is simply not possible today. It will not work.
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Couldn't agree more. It seems some on here with super-glued green tints have forgotten that Sarfraz is primarily responsible for the tactical failings going with one spinner during the SL whitewash series and there's no two ways about it. To be frank it's unforgivable when you've been playing in the UAE for 8 or so years in a row.
 
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Leading #1 team to 5 losses in 7 tests against average teams. Best captain in the world!
 
Captaincy is about leadership, on and off the field. It is about man management and uniting the team as one.

This is the Kohli who wants everyone around him to be a yes-man. That's not leadership, it's bullying.

This is the Kohli who forced a decent coach like Kumble out, and demanded a yes-man like Shastri be installed.

This is same Kohli whose team can't even travel together in the team bus.

This is the same Kohli who runs out his partners and then laughs it off.

Now results aren't going his way, and he is surprised.
 
Hasan123 said:
Sarfraz fans can screem how much of a better captain he is , the fact is no one will care for Sarfraz once he has retired whilst Kohli will be remembered for generations to come.

Sarfraz best performances when capataining have been when someone else has done the work to make him look good . Whilst Kohli has led from the front with the bat.

Tactics aren't the only thing to judge a captain by but we'll see how Sarfraz does against in the next few months. Such a great tactican should be able to win the upcoming series in ODIs and tests.
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Highly doubt that. He seems to be destined to take Pakistan towards greatness and In Sha Allah, he will.

Also, I don't think Kohli will be remembered on the grounds of his captaincy, but rather on his batting credentials.

And yes, captaincy does constitute more than just tactics - quite a few qualities. One of those qualities is inspiring a young lot into upsetting all calculations and winning against all odds.
 
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It's good time in South Asia ,PCT is doing well with Sarfaraz and management and Kohli is improving India's focus on bowling.

Hopefully with the next generation/batch of Indian batsmen in line Kohli will have better set of batsmen and India will do well all across.
 
Both Kohli and Sarfraz get too much criticism.

They are both better captains than their critics want to admit.

The way Sarfraz led his team in CT17 after the big defeat in the first game was incredible.

And I have not seen any other captain (apart from Viv, maybe) who leads from the front like Kohli does.

They both have strengths and weaknesses. It's unfair to call them poor captains based solely on their weaknesses.
 
Abdul said:
I will take Kohli over Sarfraz 1,000 times.
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He is much fitter than Sarfaraz so quite expected. However, the Indian batting lineup has failed a lot due to not being sure of their places in the team under Kohli who has also criticised Pujara and Vijay for playing slowly even though that's their natural game
 
topspin said:
That was for everyone to see when he decided to pick one spinner in the SL series where we got whitewashed.

Sarfraz might be a good tactician in ODIs but like you said he is no revolutionary that enables him to surpass Kohli, who on the other hand discarded Ashwin and Jadeja in LOIs following the CT and backed new blood in Kuldeep and Chahal who are justifying their selections with their outstanding LOI bowling performances.
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Posters think it's Arthur's fault for selecting 1 spinner though. But Sarfraz as a captain and having experience of playing in the UAE should know playing 2 spinners is a must in the UAE. Both take the blame for me for that mistake.

Agree with your last paragraph, that is something which isn't discussed much on this forum but when Sarfraz picks young players he is hailed as a revolutionary.
 
OmarKhan99 said:
Highly doubt that. He seems to be destined to take Pakistan towards greatness and In Sha Allah, he will.

Also, I don't think Kohli will be remembered on the grounds of his captaincy, but rather on his batting credentials.

And yes, captaincy does constitute more than just tactics - quite a few qualities. One of those qualities is inspiring a young lot into upsetting all calculations and winning against all odds.
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He could take Pakistan to greatness, nothing is certain yet. We will know a lot about this team in the next year or so.

Sarfraz won't be remembered for his batting or keeping which are his primary roles.
 
Yet again Virat lets England recover from a collapse to post a very competitive score (and still going!)

Setting defensive fields to Stuart Broad and letting him score freely sums it up.

:)))
 
I agree that Kohli is a better captain to have ...:sarf2
for opposition.......

Joke aside, Sarfraz has a made a late entry into Pakistan side for politics in Pakistan. He was always a better option behind wicket and as a captain in LOIs.
 
Nasser: "Virat is a very fine player, but he's got some work to do on his captaincy. He follows the ball."
 
4-1 looks the most likely scenario now although nothing much Kohli could've done today with England's position near impregnable overnight. Disappointing tour overall and some hard questions will be asked by people in India
 
4-1 to a weak English team. Great performance by "the leader" who was supposed to win more games with his bat .
 
Dhoni managed to lose only 3-1 last time and was actually leading 1-0 after 2, and he was a pretty bad captain overseas :13:
 
Kohli nothing special as a captain but what he loses in his leadership, he makes up by scoring runs.
 
Sarfraz led a team that in which more than half the squad had never played a Test in England before to a 1-1 draw in May.

Kohli led an experienced team in England to 1-4 in the summer.

Very clear who is the better captain.
 
In key moments he failed miserably. Just can't imagine Sarfaraz producing such blunders :facepalm:

Sarfaraz has been a top captain so far, IMHO.

PS: Someone should sit with him and explain him DRS...
 
Just to add: his celebration and abusing whilst jumping ain't "aggression".

Aggressive captains fill the slips and win games. He is on par with MSD.
 
Kohli's overall captaincy record is extremely misleading. He isnt nearly good as a captain as his win%age suggests.
 
Even the folds of fat on Sarfaraz's belly are better captains than Virat Kohli. Facts.
 
Sarfraz is better Captain, by some light years. I can explain why -

Kohli is without doubt the best batsman IND has produce since SRT, and he is comfortably among top 2-3 batsmen of this decade. He is extremely fit, energetic and one of the best fielders around - he is carrying his decent team to world class level almost single handed, still people, even most Indians are upset with his Captaincy ........ that guy must have to be damn bad as Captain, must be the worst ever or among very few in bottom.

In contrary, this guy Sarfraz is leading from the front with his vocal cord, for No. 1 T20 team and an ever raising ODI/Test team almost single handed. He is so good with his tactics, motivation, fitness, fairness in selection (& in verbal correction, I don't call it bashing), that most people are happy with his leadership only. Recently, he has passed 18 mark in Yo Yo test as well, which indicates his dedication, commitment & work ethics to fitness.

Obviously, Sarfraz is a little behind Kohli in cricket - that too because of batting only, Kohli can dream about keeping like Sarfraz (net, net it's almost same), but he must be way ahead in Captaincy to balance the equation in his favor. Sarfraz the Cricketer, with his Captaincy (& keeping) must have to be over weighting Virat Kohli the cricketer & Captain, other wise why so many people criticizes Kohli as Captain for the No. 1 Test & No. 2 ODI team & praise Sarfraz as Captain of No. 5 ODI & No. 7 Test team?

Whoever doesn't agree with my logic please do come reasonable on me - I wish if we could ever replace our midget with this dynamic cricketer, the inspirational leader and the cricket fox (they used to call Erwin Rommel the Desert Fox, for his tactics........).
 
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Master tactican either doesn't have the guts to stand upto Inzi and demand a 2nd spinner , or is too clueless to select one. 6 pacers in UAE. Embarssing selection. Mickey ,Sarfraz ,and Inzi deserve a lot of stick for that choice.
 
ManFan said:
Sarfraz led a team that in which more than half the squad had never played a Test in England before to a 1-1 draw in May.

Kohli led an experienced team in England to 1-4 in the summer.

Very clear who is the better captain.
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But he lead your team to 2-0 whitewash at your own home against a team like Srilanka who were still hemorrhaging from the brutal bashing we gave them few weeks ago. And now proved again by going with many fast bowlers on a slow patta like this.
 
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