As Virat Kohli Vacates T20 Captaincy, How Do We Judge His Legacy?

With India’s rather shocking early exit from the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli’s tenure as captain in the format ended rather unceremoniously. Kohli had formally announced his intention to step down as T20 captain well before the start of the tournament, which felt rather odd at the time. If the idea had been playing on his mind, India would have been better served going into the World Cup under the leadership of Kohli’s successor. In the other case, the announcement of this transition could have waited until the end of the tournament.

Not everything was well between the Indian players and the board after the way in which the England tour had to be cut short and the rumour mill was abuzz with reports of the management considering split captaincy. Keeping with the tradition, the BCCI first denied the reports via nameless sources only for Kohli to confirm a couple of days later what was widely known. Oddly enough, the news first featured on Kohli’s private social media account, deviating from the more procedural routine of a formal press release by the board.

Strangely, Kohli chose to continue to lead the side in the ODI format, which has little precedent elsewhere. Split captaincy essentially divides the role between Test cricket and shorter formats. No major team has separate captains in charge of the two short-format teams. Add to it the 50-over cricket’s receding currency in the modern game and it wt be too preposterous to assume it’s a matter of time before Kohli has to relinquish his job as the ODI captain too – whether by force or of his own accord is best left to the pleasure of those who run a parallel economy off these debates.

Nonetheless, it merits unpacking critically the developments that have surrounded Kohli taking a significant backseat from his de facto position as the alpha male of Indian cricket. In his capacity as captain, Kohli effectively reports to the son of the home minister of India. Although Jay Shah only occupies the second most powerful office in the BCCI, few need another reminder of the kind of influence the ruling government wrests over the inner workings of the board. Ever since the leadership overhaul in 2019, the board serves as an extended fiefdom of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and it would take a remarkably unintelligent person to not notice this clearly twisted power dynamic of Indian cricket today.

Now, Kohli is a lot of things but he certainly is not a remarkably unintelligent person. He’s been around for long enough to have a complete grasp of how the system works and where his bread is buttered. He fully understands the cost of taking an unpopular stand that potentially upsets the established order. In his case, the consequences are not just limited to facing incessant social media abuse but he risks needling the very people holding the power to decide his fate. His public conduct remains under constant watch. Any gesture from his end that does not sit well with the general public mood may very well result in his brand quotient taking a massive hit.

And yet, enough was enough for the Indian captain when the ugliest face of Hindutva reared its head in the wake of India’s crushing defeat to Pakistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup and the team’s only Muslim member Mohammed Shami got subjected to blatantly Islamophobic abuse on social media. Kohli had reached his tipping point.

He’d observed the silence that was expected of him by the powers that be when former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer had faced communal bigotry from those holding important offices not too long ago. He’d cordially obeyed the orders when he was asked to tweet in support of the government during the farmer protests. He’d obediently made friendly appearances on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Fit India’ campaign and allowed his own popularity to be leveraged without any resistance. Kohli, in fact, was among the first major Indian celebrities to explicitly endorse the government’s move to demonetise large chunks of Indian currency in circulation almost exactly five years ago.

None of it was out of the ordinary. This is exactly what is expected out of someone professionally contracted with the BCCI – an organisation uncomfortably close to the ruling political class. Kohli, therefore, choosing to mince no words and explicitly acknowledging the communal nature of Shami’s targeting felt a little too good to be true. On another day, Kohli perhaps would not have dared to renege on his media manager’s advice to skirt the issue and answer the question in strictly generic terms.

Perhaps it was Kohli’s personal fondness for Shami that was too overpowering for him to remain prudent. Perhaps it was a gripe he was himself nurturing after having faced a barrage of online abuse for merely asking people to exercise moderation in their Diwali celebrations. Despite his categorically limited political wisdom, it is impossible for Kohli to not know the two groups that directed hate toward him and Shami extremely overlap and are committed to the same ideological project.

Whatever triggered the unfiltered response in that press conference, Kohli showed it is entirely possible for those in a position of power to speak out their minds when they want and that the fears of repercussions are, while not entirely imaginary, definitely overplayed. Kohli’s words sent the right-wing online ecosystem into overdrive and he ended up facing another round of abuse; this time extending to his nine-month-old daughter.

But in the end, it did not matter. His stature, his commercial value, and his socio-economic privilege are too strong for even the most committed of ideological forces to cause him any real damage. His endorsements are intact. His fandom remains just as hysterical. And while the statement in defence of Shami may have resulted in an uncomfortable conversation with the BCCI officials and even a conspicuously cold handshake with Jay Shah, it would all have been worth it knowing the only Muslim member in the Indian squad slept better that night.

Also Read: Virat Kohli as the Metaphor of Our Times

A metamorphosis

Kohli has certainly undergone a metamorphosis of sorts over the past few years. While just intense almost to the point of coming across as boisterous on the field, he is much gentler, warmer, and calmer off it now. Even after a heartbreaking loss, he can put things behind him quickly and is seen exchanging a light moment or two with the opposition camp. This change has not gone down too well in some circles.

While the team’s success is often lazily attributed to his ‘aggressive’ demeanour, the psychobabble enthusiasts have managed to see in his grace a sense of indifference and a lack of hunger. Many right-leaning conservatives found it beyond them to root for a captain flaunting his ‘wokeness’ and even revelled in his failure. The Indian team taking a knee as a gesture of their commitment to stand against racism and discrimination too is problematic for some.

This sense of resentment for cricketers stems from a place of deep insecurity. The Indian captain taking a firm stand for his Muslim teammate, appealing to the people to care for the environment while celebrating a pious festival, or the cricketers joining an internationally popular anti-racism trend – all of it is perceived as strong signs of an Indian team that no longer represents the traditional idea of nationalism and instead craves for international validation.

It is not really surprising that the nativist Hindu-right finds this hard to stomach. But their grievances are unlikely to spill into the influential quarters of the BCCI when they are barely acknowledged by the top leadership of the BJP.

Kohli’s popularity among the masses still remains an extremely important vehicle for the Indian government to carry out soft propaganda to the desired effect. Rubbing a certain section of their own supporters the wrong way in the process is a small price to pay. The political class can and does see the bigger picture.

But Kohli’s words and actions in the last couple of weeks have put to rest the conveniently forged explanations for the Indian celebrities’ inability to speak out on important socio-political matters – for when they intend to, there’s indeed no stopping them.

Kohli has vacated a third of his leadership role within the Indian setup and it won’t be long before he’s only left with a third of it. In all likelihood, his legacy as a leader in limited-overs cricket will be bereft of the ultimate glory of an ICC trophy. But in his final stretch as leader of the men in blue, he’s perhaps leaving behind something of far greater value.

This won’t be the last time a Muslim cricketer’s loyalty to India is brought into question. But the next time it happens, he will know that his team has got his back. Even if it involves antagonising the Indian public. That precedent is set. And Kohli can unapologetically take credit for that.