Riding high on the successive wins over South Africa and leading 2-0 in the 4-match series, Delhi boy Virat Kohli would be looking to make it 3-0 in the upcoming 4th and final Test in which, he would be leading India on his home ground for the first time.
Very few cricketers get a chance to lead their country on their home ground and Kohli being a lucky one among them would be prepared to give his fans and his hometown a real treat by winning the final test match and making it a 3-0 historic series win against the Proteas.
Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma highly regards Kohli and even says that beating major teams in recent past has been Kohli’s biggest achievements as a player and a confident captain. “I think as a Test captain he has done extremely well. We beat Sri Lanka at their home which isn’t an easy feat. Then we also beat South Africa convincingly in two Tests. South Africa is probably the world’s strongest team in terms of batting and bowling and beating them is always an uphill task.”
He added, “Now he (Kohli) is leading the team at Kotla. I think it is a proud moment for every cricketer to lead his country at his home ground and Kohli is among those lucky ones. If he strategizes the same way as he did in the first two Tests and keeps the team’s morale up, I think India has bright chances of making it 3-0. Delhi fans will love to watch their home boy becoming a part of that historic feat.”
While keeping all the hype of captaining his side at his home ground, Rajkumar Sharma admits his ability to pile up runs has taken a toll. But, even in this regard, he defends his student, stating that team victory is more important than personal scores and performances. He looked to have faith in his batting technique and the once considered run machine would soon be fully operational and in full form.
“It’s true his runs have dried up, but it doesn’t make a big difference as long as the team is winning. The form is temporary and sooner or later he will recover, but more importantly the team should win continuously. He needs just a good knock to be in his elements and who knows he revives his form in front of home fans.”
While Kohli led India to a 2-1 series victory against Sri Lanka in August, India has been going strong since, successively defeating South Africa in the first and third test matches by 108 and 124 run respectively. The second match was started out strongly by the home side but unfortunately couldn’t progress further due to heavy rains and hence, no result.
The wickets at both the venues had been heavily criticized for being spinner-friendly. It is being said that both the team director Ravi Shastri and the skipper asked for the given conditions as it would help their team’s spinners. However, skipper’s former coach defended the home team, quoting “preparing pitches according to strengths is a practice followed worldwide and no objection should be raised on India as well.”
“When a Test finishes in two or three days in Perth or Adelaide, we never talk about the pitch. The day-night Test ended in three days and we said it was an exciting finish. If other teams can prepare pitches according to their strengths, India should also not be criticized for the same. Had South African batsmen applied themselves in a better way, they could have won on both the pitches,” he said.
Political problems revolved around the Feroz Shah Kotla test, where a possibility surrounded with the venue being shifted. But according to Delhi High Court’s decision on Thursday, the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) directed the Delhi government’s excise department to issue a no-objection certificate, thus clearing the final hurdle of the venue holding the final test.
Rajkumar said political wrangling notwithstanding, Kotla Test is a huge relief for Delhi fans. “I don’t want to go into politics but, what is more, important is that Kotla got a Test. Hosting a Test builds up excitement among people, it keeps them engaged with the sport. I think it’s very necessary for the popularity of cricket that Kotla hosts India matches. I believe the fans will savour the moment and hopefully see India win the Test,” he concluded.