BGT 2024: 3 Reasons Why Virat Kohli Should Lead India In Rohit Sharma's Absence

Virat Kohli is one of India's finest Test skipper (Source: @IconicKohIi/X.com)Virat Kohli is one of India's finest Test skipper (Source: @IconicKohIi/X.com)

The Border Gavaskar Trophy is one of the most awaited series in a cricket calendar and this year, the five-match Test series will start on 22nd of November. The first Test will be played at the Optus Stadium in Perth and ahead of the series, there are rumours that Indian captain Rohit Sharma will miss the opening Test due to personal reasons. 

The selectors also hinted at the same by appointing Jasprit Bumrah as vice-captain for the New Zealand series to keep him ready for the leadership role in Australia if the opportunity arises. However, India also has an option of making Virat Kohli as a captain for the one-off Test and let's see how it can help the Indian team if the selectors do take that call.

Virat Kohli's Experience As Test Captain In Australia

Virat Kohli led India in 68 Tests and is considered as one of India's finest captains in red-ball format. He has 40 wins as captain to his name and in 2018, he became the first captain to win a Test series in Australia. Also, he made his Test captaincy debut in Australia, knows the conditions inside out, and his aggressive tactics have worked quite well there. 

So, with good record and prior experience as captain, Virat Kohli will be a perfect short-term option and can set the ball rolling in the series with his aggressive captaincy in the opening Test. Also, Virat Kohli was heavily criticised when he left the Indian team after a humiliating loss in the opening Test of the 2020-21 tour and this could be a perfect chance for him to redeem himself as a captain on the same Australian soil.

Australia Brings Out The Best From Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is a naturally aggressive cricketer and so he has always cherished battling it out against the Aussies who are known to be brutal on the cricket field. It was on India's 2012 tour of Australia that Virat Kohli, the Test batter arrived and the upcoming Australia series could again bring out the best from him. His average against Kangaroos in Australia is 54.08 in 13 Tests which is more than his career average and it is the country where he has always led from the front both as a captain and as a batter.

Also, Aussies would be itching to take the revenge after losing back-to-back series against India on home soil and there could be plenty of mind games and sledging from the home side. In such a scenario, Virat Kohli is the best person to give them a fitting reply and it was this ruthless attitude as a Test captain that made him successful on the 2018 tour.

Captaincy Enhances Virat Kohli's Performance With Bat

Virat Kohli's form after the IPL 2024 has not been upto his standards. He failed in the Sri Lanka ODIs and also looked scratchy in the Bangladesh Test series. He would be itching to get those big hundreds on the Australian tour and the extra responsibility of captaincy might just motivate him further to make an impact. 

Also, his record as captain in Test cricket is far better than as non-captain. His average is 54.80 as captain in 68 Tests while as a player, his average drops down to 40.56. Also, Virat has scored 20 Test hundreds as captain while as a player he has nine hundreds in 47 Tests. So, giving him a captaincy could give his form and mindset a much-needed boost and we might see Virat Kohli back at his vintage best, scoring runs for fun against mighty Aussies in tough conditions.