Virat kohli returned as ODI captain, India vs West Indies, IND won the match
Virat kohli returned as ODI captain
• HIGHLIGHTS
- • Virat Kohli has taken over from Mahendra Singh Dhoni as India's limited-overs captain, becoming the leader in all three formats of the game
- • Kohli has captained India in 17 ODIs
- • Kohli has also won three man-of-the-match awards as captain in ODIs
• IND won by 10 wickets •
The Indian cricket team will usher in a new era when it take on England in the first of the three-match one-day international series on Sunday in Pune.
Virat Kohli has taken over from Mahendra Singh Dhoni as India's limited-overs captain, becoming the leader in all three formats of the game. Dhoni, 35, relinquished the limited-overs captaincy on January 4 after nine trophy-laden years, which included the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup, 2011 ICC World Cup and a Champions Trophy title in 2013. (The more I serve Virat Kohli, the better it will be for Indian cricket: MS Dhoni)
The team is set to witness a paradigm shift towards Kohli's combative technique from Dhoni's tranquillity. Dhoni provided the team the spunk to be world-beaters and the only man who can aspire to reach such heights or even scale bigger mountains is Kohli.
Kohli, like a good leader, built his Test squad with a strong bench and it is time for him to carry forward Dhoni's legacy in the other formats.
However, that should not be much of a problem for Kohli. (Virat Kohli's Team India will rewrite history, says MS Dhoni)
Kohli boasts of an impressive record as the Test captain since taking over the reins in December 2014. Under his leadership, India have won 14 of the 22 Test matches and have enjoyed their longest-ever unbeaten streak of 18 matches.
Kohli also became the first Indian captain to slam three double hundreds and led India to the number one position in the ICC Test rankings.
The essence of Kohli's captaincy has been in taking bold decisions and backing it to the hilt without thinking about consequences. Kohli's hunger for success can be gauged from the fact that he and his teammates share a common goal - sustained excellence.
However, Kohli's focus now shifts to the shorter formats where the world has seen him dominate bowling attacks and craft India's chases with the perfection of a master.
While Kohli's CV as Test skipper is a matter of envy, he also has a considerable amount of experience as a captain in the ODI format.
Kohli has captained India in 17 ODIs, scoring 850 runs at an impressive average of 70.83 and with four hundreds and three fifties. His highest individual score in ODIs as captain is 139*.
More importantly, Kohli has also won three man-of-the-match awards as captain in ODIs.
Considering the explosive form he is in, the numbers are surely going to head north in the coming years. Also the fact that Kohli has always performed well under pressure, the added responsibility as captain will bring nothing but the best in him.
As India step into a new era, Kohli will have the benefit of Dhoni's sound advice behind the stumps for some time and if everything goes well, even in the 2019 World Cup.
Rishabh Pant Breaks Into Squad For First Two Games
Virat Kohli is back as the captain of the Indian One-day International team for the first two matches of the series against the Windies. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced the Indian team for the first two ODIs of the five-match series. Virat Kohli is back in command as India's skipper after taking a break during the recently concluded Asia Cup. The first ODI will be played on October 21 in Guwahati at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, whereas the second game will be hosted by the YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on October 24. Both the ODIs will be day-night fixtures.
Other notable inclusion is that of left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed, who performed exceedingly well in the Asia Cup, which India won after beating Bangladesh in the final.
However, Dinesh Karthik has been rested to give Pant a chance. Ravindra Jadeja, who had replaced the injured Hardik Pandya in the Asia Cup, has been given another ODI lifeline by the selectors.
Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya couldn't return to the squad after getting injured during the Asia Cup in UAE.
Squad (first two ODIs): Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni (wk), Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Khaleel Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, KL Rahul.
More on India vs West Indies
Rahane's return to form comes as a relief for both the cricketer and the team, although he would have preferred his contribution to have been bigger than the 80 he scored in Hyderabad. Pujara too would have hoped for something similar, having been dismissed for 86 at his home ground. But fellow Saurashtrian ensured he made it a memorable game for himself, registering a hundred for the first time in his Test career. Kohli too was in good touch with the bat, adding to his growing list of centuries.
Among the bowlers, the Yadavs were India's biggest gainers. After a disappointing show at Lord's, the first thing Kuldeep Yadav did was to go straight to his coach and worked on bowling with the red ball. A proven performer in the limited-overs circuit, Kuldeep was quick to admit that Test cricket was a different beast altogether. He wouldn't, however, not try to conquer that beast, riding on the confidence of his five-wicket haul against Australia A to finish with 10 wickets in the series, which included his maiden fifer.
Umesh too had a point or two to prove, having been regularly benched in recent times. Having played only two Tests in 2018 before this series, it was imperative for Umesh to come up with a good showing in this series to stay in the reckoning for the Australia Tests. With the spinners doing the bulk of the damage in the opening Test, Umesh ended up with a solitary wicket in Rajkot. But he responded brilliantly in Hyderabad, happy to shoulder the extra responsibility in the absence of an injured Shardul Thakur, to finish as only the third Indian pacer to bag 10 wickets in a home Test. With Kohli also acknowledging that his performance leaves India with a happy headache ahead of the Australia series, India's pace department is in good hands.
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