‘Sinking Ship’ Needed Virat Kohli To Stay Back: Dileep Doshi

Dileep Doshi, former Indian international cricketer believes Indian skipper Virat Kohli needed to stay back with the team, especially after the Adelaide debacle where India were bundled out for 36 — registering their lowest Test score.

Virat Kohli’s decision of prioritizing the birth of his child over cricket and fly back home leaving the Australia Tour midway has been largely appreciated by critics but there are also a few of them who think otherwise as they felt that Virat Kohli should have stayed backed and finished the tour.

Dileep Doshi: India Is A Sinking Ship And Needed Captain The Most In The Tough Time

Dileep Doshi, 73, opined this is the time the team needs its captain the most and called India a sinking ship.

“To me, captaining India would be the prime-most thing on my mind. It’s a sinking ship. This is the time when they need their captain the most. If you leave at this time, you are leaving the side to your deputy with a lot of questions unanswered. I only hope and pray that the team shows enough character to come out of this.”

The left-arm spinner who played 33 Test and 15 ODIs for India Dileep Doshi went on to add that while the BCCI cannot stop any player from taking such decisions but personally felt if he was in such a situation he would have not gone back, because ‘national duty comes before everything else’.

“I know this is a modern phenomenon that people believe that they ought to be by the side of their family and spouses when they deliver a child. I understand all that. But when you are on a national duty… If I put myself in his shoes, I wouldn’t have gone. For me, national duty comes before everything else”

“This is a highly individual and institutional approach. Legally, you cannot stop somebody doing that. The cricket board cannot have a rule saying the players cannot go and be on the side of their spouses for such an occasion. Personally, I wouldn’t have gone,” added Doshi.

Dileep Doshi felt that although there are no such rules but he felt that Virat Kohli should have stayed personally to boost the team’s chances.

India who had the upper hand going into 3rd day’s play at Adelaide scored their lowest ever Test score of 36 and handed Australia initiative and they comfortably chased down the 90 runs target to go 1-0 up.

Steve Smith Says Virat Kohli Deserves Credit For His Decision But Sunil Gavaskar Said He Did Not Fly Home For Birth Of Their Son

On Tuesday, Australia’s mainstay Test No. 1 batsman Steve Smith said Virat Kohli deserves credit for prioritizing the birth of his child over cricket as “there would have been a lot of pressure” on the India skipper to stay for the entire duration of the ongoing 4 match Test series.

“I just fist-pumped him at the end (of first Test) and said ‘Mate safe travels, hope everything goes well with the baby, and pass on my best to your wife.’ That was about it,” Smith said. “I’m sure there would have been a lot of pressure for him to stay but to stand up and want to go home for for the birth of his first child, it’s a credit for him. It’s a milestone that he certainly wouldn’t want to miss,” said Smith.

Earlier, Sunil Gavaskar had also clarified that he had not asked the BCCI for granting paternity leave and necessary permission to return to India from New Zealand and West Indies in 1975-76 to be with his wife for the birth of their son Rohan Gavaskar as he was committed to playing for India.

“While this is correct, the circumstances of that request were not quite made clear and so, here is an attempt to put the record straight. Firstly, I did not ask permission to return to be by my wife’s side for the birth. When I left with the Indian team for the (1975-76) twin tour of New Zealand and the West Indies, I was aware that the baby would come while I was away. I was committed to playing for India and my wife backed me to the hilt.”

Virat Kohli who is India’s most successful Test captain with 33 Test wins will head home and India will be led in the next 3 Tests by Ajinkya Rahane who had earlier led in 2 Tests. India had won their maiden Test series 2-1 in the previous tour in 2018-19 but reclaiming is a lot more difficult in Virat Kohli’s absence. India may bring as many as 5 changes with Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja set to feature in next Test.