India has seen a lot of captains in the international arena. Some of them revolutionizing Indian cricket,some leaving behind a legacy and some winning all the silverware.A lot of us think that this team under Virat has all the possible ingredients to become a major force in International cricket but what is it that stops this team to do so?

Brief disclaimer: MS Dhoni handed over the reigns of the test captaincy to Kohli in the 2014-15 series against australia when he decided to retire mid-series after the third test. 2 years down the line Kohli had led the side in all of the 3 formats and continues to do so till date.

Here’s a look at the stats under virat’s leadership:-

TESTS: M-55 W-33 L-12 D-10

ODIS:M-89 W-62 L-24

T20s:M-37 W-22 L-11

India maintains a formidable winning percentage of 60% in tests with important victories coming away from home at Johannesburg, Trent Bridge and the historic series win for the first time on Australian soil.Over the past 2 years they lost the series that were played in South Africa, England and New Zealand although a series win seemed to be at touching distance against the proteas.On the contrary, India at home have been ruthless. They haven’t lost a test match since February 2017 when steve o’ Keefe spun a web around the Indian batsmen and haven’t lost a series since 2012 against England.

In one day internationals, India has an impressive winning percentage of 71.83%.There was a phase before the 2019 worldcup where they won wherever they toured and were equally brilliant at home. However, the batting has cracked under pressure in crucial games like the 2017 champions trophy final vs arch- rivals Pakistan and the world cup semi-final against New Zealand last year costing India both, the finals and the knockout.

In T20 internationals, Virat has a small sample space as captain because of the rests taken owing to the workload management but maintains a winning % of 65.71. In 10 bilateral series between 2017 and 2019 India remain undefeated.The latest triumph being the contest against New Zealand where they whitewashed the Kiwis 5-0.

A SWOT analysis[Strenghts, weaknesses, opportunities and threats] would help here for all the three formats.

TESTS:-

Strenghts: The fast bowling battery has improved by leaps and bounds.All of the Pacers can consistently bowl above 140 km/hr.This bowling line up dismissed the opposition in each of the tests against England, South Africa and Australia.Bumrah’s lived a dream period in test matches. Batsmen have not been able to pick up his slingy action with the speed that he bowls.That wicket of Keaton Jennings at the Ageas Bowl,in the third test always comes to my mind when an incoming delivery struck him on his pads when he only expected bumrah to move the ball away. Shami has been a vital cog in the bowling in the past few years.He’s at his best when the ball is old and reverses in the last session of the day.Ishant’s resurgence as the head Speedster has been justified after consistent performances abroad.

Jasprit Bumrah, in 14 test matches has picked up 68 wickets @20.33.

Weaknesses: The Batsman have struggled in conditions that suited quick bowlers.In fact, this is a major reason India have lost tests because the efforts made by the bowlers have not been replicated by the batsmen.Edgbastion 2018 and The second test against South Africa are prime examples.Another Concern is the inability to dismiss tailenders cheaply due to which they concede their lead which plays a major role in games that are not very high scoring.

Opportunities: India has a lot of depth in their fast bowling reserves and the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav hardly get a test match here and there.They should be flexible to other options.We’ve seen How well Umesh has bowled in the sub continent and Bhuvi would have been more than a handful in the test series against New Zealand where the green tops and windy conditions were perfect for his style of bowling.

Threats: The overdependance On Kohli and Pujara to pull the team out of trouble on all occasions is a threat. The other batsman need to step up during such a time. The likes of Mayank and Vihari have shown potential.Also, the constant chopping and changing of the wicketkeepers can dent their confidence. Saha was chosen to keep wickets during the home test matches later in 2019 whereas Rishabh played in the 11 in both tests against New Zealand not long ago.

The analysis for ODIs and T20s will be posted in the next blog.

This was my first blog and I want to thank y’all for reading this.