During the meeting to pick the Indian squad for the five-match ODI tour of Zimbabwe, the selectors were in a dilemma whether to name Virat Kohli as skipper or rest him, says a report in Indian Express. “However, in the absence of MS Dhoni, it was decided that Kohli should be given the opportunity to clock more matches as skipper. They were not let down. Kohli, who is being groomed to take over from Dhoni in the long run, showed that he had a mind of his own when it came to taking decisions: promoting an out-of-form Suresh Raina to No.3 and giving those who have have warmed the bench longer a chance than fielding newcomer Parvez Rasool,” says the report.
“He continued to make runs by hitting 197 in the three innings, which included a century in the first match at Harare. But only by going further back to another century made in early July against the West Indies in Port of Spain would the true assessment of Kohli's internship as skipper be complete,” says the report.
Meanwhile Deccan Chronicle writes that Dhoni, unconventional in his approach to the game and unorthodox when it comes to batting, has indeed achieved feats, both as a Captain and as a player, which will ensure that his name is not effaced from the pages of History. “Though he is only 32 and looks good for maybe another five years, given the amount of cricket being played today, it would be safe to assume that BCCI needs a player to fall back in times of emergency. A contingency plan would be a more appropriate phrase,” says the article, adding that in Kohli, India seems to have found its answer.
“Although he has only assumed the mantle a mere eight times among which five of them have been against a weak Zimbabwe side, it does look as though Kohli has the gravitas to take on the job full-time should the occasion arise. Against a hapless Zimbabwe side, which did not even look like a pale shadow of its formidable self a decade and a half ago, Kohli led the eager, unbridled youngsters in the side admirably to see India complete its first ever whitewash in an overseas tour,” says the article.
“Leading a second rung Indian squad against a mediocre Zimbabwe team might not have really strained his brain cells seeing as how India hardly needed to come up with novel tactics to thwart the host nation but Kohli did have the responsibility of keeping everyone in the side, including some of his seniors, satisfied and had to remain vigilant in order to ensure that complacency did not creep into the side. And it would be safe to say that Kohli has managed to acquit himself well in these departments,” says the article in Deccan Chronicle.