Virat Kohli’s legacy, particularly as captain, is unsurpassed. Kohli, India’s most successful Test captain, oversaw a revolution while in leadership of the squad from 2015 to 2021. Under his leadership, India won their first Test series in Australia, won the ICC Test Championship for five years in a row, pushed England in Tests at home, and participated in several memorable ICC tournaments.
While Kohli has won numerous honours for India, he has also made a few mistakes, as would any other captain. The biggest flaw in Kohli’s captaincy is that he has never won an ICC trophy for India. India came close on multiple times, including the semifinals of the 2019 World Cup, the final of the inaugural World Test Championship, and the 2017 Champions Trophy, but couldn’t deliver the knockout blow.
The CT final vs Pakistan hurts the most. India were the clear favourites to win the tournament, having thrashed Pakistan in their group-stage match just ten days prior. But on the day of the final, everything went wrong, beginning with the toss.
A call that will always be highly debated, India opted to bowl and paid the price. Pakistan plundered 338/4, with Fakhar Zaman’s 114 leading the way. In reply, the fabled Indian batting order crumbled like a pack of cards, getting smoked away for 158. Recalling the game eight years later, former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar, who was part of the team management, admits that the decision-makers, including captain Kohli, made a mistake in reading the conditions.
“We made a mistake that day. We should have batted after winning the toss because in England, you always look up – whether there are clouds. And it was a sunny day entirely. I felt that the decisions that were made and the team management who was part of that call were wrong. I, too, was part of that team. So the captain Virat Kohli, coach Anil Kumble, senior player MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma… everybody was a part of it. It wasn’t a one-man decision,” Bangar said during a discussion on ESPNcricinfo.
India quickly lost Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shikhar Dhawan, reducing their total to 6/72. India’s lone glimmer of hope came when Hardik Pandya batted, smashing a flurry of fours and sixes. However, because to a misunderstanding with Ravindra Jadeja, his run-out sealed the deal. Pakistan won the final by 180 runs and claimed the Champions Trophy under Sarfaraz Ahmed, their first ICC championship since the 2009 T20 World Cup in England.
“Hardik Pandya was fuming, but he didn’t let that frustration out on his teammate. It was more on himself in a way that ‘I could have won this match for India’. In such a scenario, the player should be left alone,” added Bangar.
