India have wherewithal to be No. 1 Test team

Virat Kohli is peeved that some critics — including former first-class players — assigned greater credit to the pitches than his team’s performances in beating South Africa in the recent series. But instead of haranguing on such matters he would be better off setting his sights on bigger achievements to stymie the naysayers.

Players have their job to do, critics theirs. Opinions are always subjective, and while there might be a few with agendas that obscure objective appraisal, most critics are measured in what they write and speak because they put their own credibility at stake too.

Given the high profile cricket and cricketers enjoy in the country, critical scrutiny will necessarily be intense. But just as poor performance invites rebuke from selectors, rank bias and prejudice have a high mortality rate in the media too.

For somebody who has been in the limelight ever since he was an Under-19 cricketer, Kohli should have become inured to the attention, praise and criticism that will be heaped on him and his team. That comes with the territory.

I would rather that he uses criticism to stoke his own ambition further to make India the world’s number 1 Test team again. That is the real challenge confronting Kohli & Co, and by my reckoning, India now have the wherewithal to actualise this.

The resounding 3-0 win over South Africa has seen India leapfrog to the number 2 spot. The Proteas are still perched on top with 114 points, but they look very vulnerable currently and can be toppled.

The race for top position is hotting up as Australia, Pakistan and New Zealand have taken major strides too in the past year. But in my opionion, India have perhaps the best talent to upstage all other sides.

There has been a discernible curve upwards in India’s performances in the past 12-odd months. While the four-Test series against Australia last year was lost 0-2, the contest was close: with a little luck and greater resilience, the scoreline could have been the opposite.

The next two series — which also saw Kohli as full-fledged captain — have seen the team’s performance show dramatic improvement. Sri Lanka were beaten 2-1 after the first Test was lost and a few months later South Africa were annihilated 3-0.

This suggests a smart regimentation of talent and a growing sense of purpose, in which Kohli’s own role — as batsman but even more so as captain — has been significant. He is still acquainting himself with the captaincy, but his influence is already discernible.

There has been very little of mindless aggression, as was being feared after some early bombastic statements. Instead, what we’ve seen in abundance is a welcome zeal and ambition to win, which is the basis of competitive sport.

What makes me bullish about the team regaining the top spot is the composition of the side. It has depth and balance in both batting and bowling. The batting line-up is gifted, though there is clearly a need for greater consistency. But of particular relevance in the quest for the number 1 spot is the bowling.

Unless a team take 20 wickets consistently, they can’t win matches regularly.

While clearly the accent was on spin against both Sri Lanka and South Africa India now also have an array of fast bowlers to pick from too and make the attack incisive even on pitches not tailor-made for slow bowlers.

There is splendid variety in the. Among slow bowlers, there is an off-spinner, a leg-spinner and a left-arm spinner. Among the pace men, there is a good mix of those who can genuinely swing the ball or seam it. And all of them are above fast-medium!

But just having players of quality and variety is not an end in itself, as has been shown up so often in India’s cricket history. It’s how these players jell that is of the essence. This is where Kohli is critical.

India don’t play a Test for 10 months now. He should not treat this as a vacation from the five-day format, but plan ahead for the next season rightaway. He has to start talking to his players, give them direction, fire their imagination, so that when the time comes, their efforts bear results. Repeatedly.

There is no better way to keep critics at bay.