“If we have to share our number 1 spot with any other team it would be New Zealand,” is what Virat Kohli had said before the Wellington Test and that is probably were it all went wrong for Team India as toning down the aggression that they have come to be known for, completely backfired against Kane Williamson’s “nice guys” at the Basin Reserve.
Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson have been good friends since their U-19 days and the mutual respect that they share is there for all to see.
But unlike Williamson, Kohli is a naturally aggressive cricketer when he puts on the Indian jersey and it is this very trait that has helped him and his team dominate world cricket and stay on top of the ICC ladder in Tests.
But nothing of that sort was visible on the field throughout the four days in Wellington as Kohli’s side went down without a fight against the Black Caps in the first Test of the two-match series, suffering a 10-wicket loss in the process.
India have dominated Test cricket over the last few years thanks to some superb performances by their fast bowlers, while the batsmen have also backed them up with Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara leading the way.
But the aggression and drive to completely bury the opposition has also been one of the main factors behind their rise. However, a completely different Indian team turned up in Wellington and as a result, collapsed against the Black Caps.
Virat Kohli himself was one of the biggest disappointments in the first match and was the lowest scorer out of the top-four batsmen in the Indian lineup. With just 21 runs in two innings combined, Kohli stretched his barren streak of not scoring a hundred in Tests to 20 innings.
Now Kohli is at his best as captain and as a batsman when he is charged up and raises his game to another level if he is sledged by the opposition. But New Zealand played it smart by not engaging in any war of words or mental games with him before or during the match.
The result – Virat Kohli, the best Test batsman in the world, got out for 2 and 19 in both innings.
SHOWING NO SPITE
“In the last 4-5 years we have become a team who everyone wants to beat, New Zealand would be no different but the difference is that there won’t be any spite in it,” Kohli had said.
Kohli was even asked if revenge was on his mind after their World Cup semi-final loss against Williamson’s boys last year. But this was his reply: “Honestly, even if you think about revenge, these guys are so nice, you can’t get into that zone. We get along really well with these guys and it’s all about just being competitive on the field.”
India thus, tried to follow a different template by not “showing any spite” which is probably what hurt them the most. Because it was in stark contrast to how they played against Australia in the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under and won the series 2-1.
India were ruthless against Tim Paine’s side and gave them the taste of their own medicine in all departments, including getting under the skin of the opposition. That worked wonders as Australia got rattled and surrendered the Test series to Kohli’s team.
The Kiwis though are different. They let their cricket do all the talking without uttering a single word on or off the field. This ploy has been working for them ever since Brendon McCullum took over the captaincy and the legacy is being carried forward by Kane Williamson.
But it doesn’t necessarily mean that these tactics will work for every team, especially one like India, who have decimated sides like Australia, West Indies, South Africa and Bangladesh not only with their performances but also with their aggression, courage and sheer ruthlessness.
It is perhaps time for Team India to rethink its strategy before the second Test in Christchurch and go back to what they do does best – bury the opposition by turning up the heat with bat, ball and attitude on the field, with their captain Virat Kohli leading by example.
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