The first day of July will witness India and England lock horns in the rescheduled 5th and final test match. The game is supposed to be played at the Edgbaston ground in Birmingham. India currently enjoys a 2-1 lead in the series which began last year at Trent Bridge. The first test was a draw as the series picked up with India’s win in the Lord’s test. England came back to win the game at Leeds, as India won the Oval test for the first time in 50 years to take 2-1 lead. The final game was supposed to be played at Manchester before COVID cases hit the Indian camp and match was postponed to 2022.
Just before the start of the 5th test, new India test skipper was dealt a blow when he tested positive for COVID. Amidst the uncertainty around Rohit’s participation, the calls for Kohli to be handed the captaincy has gained steam. Here we look at the 4 reasons why Virat Kohli should be made captain for the Birmingham test match
The logical choice –
Virat Kohli was the captain for India in the last series playing against the English captain Joe Root. Both the players stepped down from the captaincy citing the rigors attached to the role. BCCI handing Kohli the captaincy for the game, would be a logical choice as he was the captain of the Indian team last year which gained the 2-1 lead. If Rohit doesn’t recover in time, Virat Kohli captaining the side and perhaps winning the series will give him the most perfect end to his captaincy career.
Proper goodbye to the fans as the skipper –
Virat Kohli stepped down as the test team skipper in a rather surprising manner after the 2-1 series loss to South Africa early this year. The fans have time and again asked him to reconsider this decision. If the BCCI gives him the charge for the game, it will be a much deserved and proper chance for Kohli to say good bye to his fans as the captain of the side he helped create.
Most successful Indian test skipper –
Virat Kohli since taking over the test team in early 2015 to early 2022, made the team into a formidable test unit. Wins at home and away from home under his helm and 5 continuous years at the top of the ladder in test rankings are proof of his work as the test skipper. Virat has won 40 test matches as the skipper of the side and has a win percentage of nearly 59 in the 68 matches he led.
No other alternative –
KL Rahul has already been sidelined from the tour due to a groin injury, Rahul stood in as the captain during the Johannesburg test for Kohli who had a back spasm during the game. With Rahul not around, there is no other captaincy candidate with the experience that Kohli enjoys. The talks of Bumrah as the captain have gained steam, while Pant is too young to be given the job in a high profile game of this caliber.
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