Cricket Captaincy primarily requires leadership skills of three kinds, one’s own batting or bowling ability, developing a strategy during the game based on the happenings on the field and motivating fellow team mates to excel.
The current BGT series magnified Rohit’s failing on all the three counts. Be it Virat setting the field, or his continuous failure with the bat, or the way he was dealing with his bowlers.
I was then suddenly reminded of Mike Brearley, a great England captain, who was primarily taken into the team for his ability to inspire his team mates and strategise during the game and not for his batting skills !!
Here are a little bit of statistics. Of the 39 tests he played, he captained in 31 and won 18 and lost 4 and hiis batting average? It was a poor 22 !
However it was his remarkable captaincy and people management that he was chosen for. It was during his leadership that Bob Willis and Ian Botham blossomed.
There was an article in Bleachers Report that spoke of him as the greatest captain England has ever produced. (Source Wikipedia)
Unsurprisingly, post his retirement he took up a career as psychoanalyst.
Why am I bringing this now ? Form comes and goes, but people management and strategising is not dependent on your form. If you cannot do these two, then you really have no business to be a leader of a team.
I pray to Bhagwan to bless Rohit at least the ability to be a Mike Brearely in the coming test.
Hari’s Curries
A Buffet of Reflections