Ian Chappell compares captaincy of Virat Kohli and Joe Root
Australian legend Ian Chappell termed Virat Kohli an exceptional leader in his latest column for ESPNcricinfo. Chappell believes the 33-year-old "led the Indian team to a higher level" without curbing his enthusiasm. Kohli recently stepped down as Team India's Test captain. The former also compared the captaincy styles of Kohli and England skipper Joe Root. According to Chappell, Root is a "poor captain".
Why does it matter?
One of the most successful leaders, Kohli, has completed his stint as captain in all three formats. His numbers are often compared to the other members of Big Four - Joe Root, Steven Smith, and Kane Williamson. Kohli and Root were at loggerheads last year across two separate Test series. India won 3-1 at home and are 2-1 ahead in England (series remains unfinished).
Chappell lavishes praise on Kohli
"The successful captain is Virat Kohli of India. When Kohli took over after the successful reign of MS Dhoni, there was one major concern: would his boundless enthusiasm cloud his judgement as leader?" wrote Chappell. "There's no doubt Kohli was an exception as captain; he didn't curb his enthusiasm but he was still able to lead the Indian team to a higher level."
India's most successful Test captain
Kohli stepped down as India's Test captain earlier this month. The announcement came in the aftermath of India's series loss (1-2) to South Africa. Kohli finished as India's most successful captain in red-ball cricket. Under him, India won 40 of 68 Tests. Kohli finished only behind legends Graeme Smith (53), Ricky Ponting (48), and Steve Waugh (41) in terms of Test wins as captain.
Third-most international runs as captain
Kohli captained India in a total of 213 matches across formats. He tallied 12,883 runs at an astonishing average of 59.92. Kohli has the third-most international runs as captain after Ponting (15,440) and Smith (14,878). He is one of the two Indians with over 10,000 international runs as captain, the other being Dhoni. Kohli slammed 41 international tons as captain, the joint-most with Ponting.
Root was never going to be a successful leader: Chappell
Besides highlighting Kohli's achievements, Chappell took a dig at Root, the Captain. "The captaincy failure, despite having led his country more times than any other captain, is Joe Root. It doesn't matter what Root or any other English devotee tells you, Root is a fine batter but a poor captain. He was never going to be a successful leader," wrote Chappell.
England lost the Ashes under Root
Under Root, England suffered a humiliating 0-4 defeat to Australia in The Ashes. Notably, England haven't won a single Test Down Under since the 2010/11 tour. They are yet to win a Test series since January 2021 when they beat Sri Lanka 2-0 away from home. England are last (ninth) on the ICC World Test Championship table (2021-2023) with just one win.
England suffered nine Test defeats in 2021
England suffered nine defeats in Test cricket in 2021, the joint-most Test defeats in a calendar year. Bangladesh also lost as many Tests in 2003. The English batters recorded a record-equaling 54 ducks in 2021. Notably, England registered as many ducks in 1998.
ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year (2021)
Root has been the lone warrior for England with the bat in recent times. He recently bagged the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year (2021) Award. Root became only the third player in Test history to score over 1,700 runs in a calendar year (2021). Only Mohammad Yousuf (1,788) and Sir Vivian Richards (1,710) have scored more.
