E-Paper
‘Won’t curb Virat’s aggression’
NEW DELHI: Finding the right balance could well be the theme for India as they set out for the Test tour of the West Indies. Anil Kumble is taking early steps after
NEW DELHI: Finding the right balance could well be the theme for India as they set out for the Test tour of the West Indies. Anil Kumble is taking early steps after taking over as the new coach while Test skipper Virat Kohli will return to the Caribbean, where he made his debut on the previous Test tour in 2011.
In that series, which India won 1-0, Kohli had a tough initiation as the fast bowlers led by Fidel Edwards targetted his rib cage to start with in the first Test in Kingston, out to prove that the once-fearsome aspect of West Indies cricket had not entirely dissipated.
TEMPERING AGGRESSION
Five years on, Kohli will be expected to be the enforcer-in-chief for India. And West Indies pacers will be braced for the aggressive approach India have sworn by under Kohli’s leadership in the last year or so. Australia’s stand-in coach, Justin Langer bemoaned the slow pitches in the islands not doing any service to the Caribbean pacers either. For fans and experts though, focus will also be on Kohli’s body language. During Ravi Shastri’s tenure, the team director and the skipper had sworn by aggression, but Kohli had courted controversies by pushing the boundaries of acceptable behaviour.
Kumble too was known for his aggression as a player, but India’s greatest Test and ODI bowler never overstepped the mark. As the captain and coach spoke to the media on Monday ahead of the team’s departure for the four-Test series, Kumble was asked to give his take on his captain’s temperament.
Kumble praised Kohli’s attitude, comparing it with his own aggression, but sent a quiet message to the younger man seated by his side. “I love his aggression. I was no different, although very different in terms of how we came across in the field. But you don’t want to curb aggression. I will be the last person to curb someone’s natural instincts,” he said. “Of course, we all know how important it is to be ambassadors of India and to be a part of the Indian cricket team. That everybody in the team understands. We will ensure that there is a thin line and everyone knows that.”
Kohli’s focus will be on playing the leader to India’s batting unit. In the home series against South Africa late last year, India won 3-0 but on largely underprepared pitches, the batsmen struggled. Cheteshwar Pujara’s half-century in the first Test in Mohali was crucial, and only Ajinkya Rahane reached triple figures, scoring hundreds in either innings in the final Test in Delhi. With India due to play 17 Tests in the next year, he wants the batsmen to cash in on the opportunity. He acknowledged the failings against South Africa.
“The South Africa series was low-scoring but one thing we need to realise is to focus on the things we did wrong as a batting group,” he said. “As a batting group, we need to bat in partnerships, not just on the field but in preparation as well. We need to understand each other... That is where the patience bit comes in because you know how your partner is playing. We have lost patience in the past, (but when) you know your partner, you will never go away from the plan given to you.”
