Virat Kohli- A leader by example

Talk about captains leading by example and Virat Kohli personified the oft-repeated adage on Thursday. On Third Day of the first Test at the Adelaide Oval, the Indian skipper guided India to a safer zone and also became the fourth from the country to score century in his first match as the captain.

Other former captains who have achieved this rare are Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar.

Having watched Kohli develop into a cricketer of repute, Vengsarkar was all praise for Kohli's knock. The Delhi batsman's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma said that 26-year-old was disappointed with his performance in the away series against England and had even discussed his batting with Sachin Tendulkar.

Kohli's knock reminded Vengsarkar of his first match as the captain when he scored 102 in the second innings against the West Indies at the Feroze Shah Kotla, Delhi, in 1987-88.

"It is a huge thing to be among the runs as a captain. And scoring century in first match as captain will is a confidence booster. Definitely, there is no question about it that this century will only help Kohli and gain in more confidence as a captain."

He added, "Well, as a captain you are involved in the game all the time, every move and station and how to go about things etc. Of course as a batsman and captain, you are expected to lead by example. I am very glad that he did it. What a fantastic innings it was. He is one of the finest players at the moment. I hope he continues in the same manner," he said.

It wasn't an easy day for Kohli. Walking in to bat with his team at 111/1, Kohli was welcomed by Mitchell Johnson with a short delivery that hit the front of batsman's helmet. Quite a shaker considering the recent Phil Hughes tragedy. The bowler and fielders, unlike the Aussies of yesteryears, appeared concerned and even enquired if Kohli was alright. If the Delhi lad was unnerved, he didn't let it bother him for long because he went on to bat for another 183 balls.

Kohli cracked a scintillating 115 with 12 fours guiding India to a strong position at the end of the day's play. His partnerships with Cheteshwar Pujara – 81 for third wicket and Ajinkya Rahane – 101 for the fourth — were responsible for India's fightback.

However, a loose pull shot off Johnson as the shadows lengthened on the ground, ballooned straight into the hands of deep mid-wicket fielder Ryan Harris, ending an important innings.

The value of his knock increases manifold when seen in the light that it came in his first match as captain and that too in the opening match of an important series and given that his team was up against a mammoth first innings total.

Vengsarkar said, "When your opposition scores more than 500 runs and then they have a strong attack, it definitely puts you under pressure. You try to save the follow on and then you try to take the lead. It is an uphill task," said Vengsarkar, whose knock of 102 on debut as a captain came against Vivian Richard's West Indies at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, in 1987-88.

While his batting credentials are well established, Kohli's captaincy skills are under the microscope in this match and his decision to leave out India's No.1 spinner R Ashwin and play rookie playing leg-spinner Karn Sharma has come under criticism. However, Vengsarkar believes Kohli is one for the future.

"He is definitely the future captain. He has to be groomed. He is a smart and an intelligent cricketer with solid character. He likes to lead from the front which is the hallmark of a good captain," he said.

Sharma said he is not surprised with the way Kohli batted. "He likes challenges. He was slightly upset after his failures in the England series. We had a lot of talk about how to go about it and concluded that he has to play postively and stick to his natural game.

"He was determined to bounce back. He met Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai to clear all his doubts and worked hard on his game. And you saw that in the recent ODIs and then today," said Sharma.

"It was a pretty determined and a chanceless knock. The bouncer that hit him only made his resolve stronger. He is someone who if he gets hit on the head, he would find a way to give it back to you as he prepares himself for the challenges. Unfortunately, he got out at the fag end of the day instead of carrying on," he said.

As far as captaincy is concerned, Sharma said Kohli is a team man. "He was concerned that regular captain MS Dhoni won't be there in the first Test and they will miss him. He always puts the team ahead of himself. He also knows that being the captain, he has to lead from the front so he will make all the effort to do so," said Sharma.

Talking about Kohli maturing as a player from being regarded as a brat, Sharma said: "He has matured with age. However, don't expect him to take nonsense from anyone. He will be continue to be aggressive," he added.


Centuries on Debut as Captain
1. Vijay Hazare (164 not vs England at Delhi in 1951-52)
2. Sunil Gavaskar (116 vs New Zealand at Auckland in 1975-76)
3. Dilip Vengsarkar (102 in the second innings vs West Indies at Delhi in 1987-88)
4. Virat Kohli (115 in the first innings vs Australia)