Virat Kohli's excessive aggression and India's leadership options

Virat Kohli, undoubtedly among the best batsmen of his generation, is set to take the reins of the Indian Test team.

Since his international debut in 2008, Kohli has turned in some masterful performances.

However, his divine stroke play and elegance are sometimes overshadowed by altercations with umpires, opposition players and his over-the-top celebrations.

The Australian tour, in which Kohli captained India for two Test matches, paints a complete picture of having an aggressive person like him at the helm.

In the first morning of the first Test at Adelaide, we saw a young skipper who looked clueless about fielding positions and bowling changes as David Warner toyed with the Indian bowling.

As the game moved on however, Kohli looked more certain and relaxed. A certain Kohli touch was introduced on the final day of the game, when he single-handedly, through his immense self belief and skill, almost pulled out a remarkable victory for India. Kohli the Test player had finally arrived.

Despite being on the losing side, Kohli’s aggressive style of playing and leadership were lauded.

As the series progressed we saw Kohli confronting the Aussies, telling people to “stay in their limits”, and showing premium fast bowlers no respect. This overly aggressive nature is a high stakes gamble – if he fails, he is left looking foolish, and captains cannot afford to look foolish.

Several times in the Australia series, an overly aggressive Kohli almost managed to give away his wicket at crucial junctures, not because of excellent bowling but because of his own loss of temperament.

So do India have other options to take over the captaincy?

Murali Vijay
This elegant right-handed opening batsman has scored runs in almost all conditions. He is an experienced campaigner, looks a cool and calm customer, but has not had much of a leadership role in any of the teams he has been a part of.

Ajinkya Rahane
It might be too soon to pitch in Rahane, but considering the composed manner in which he goes about his business, he might not be a bad option.

Rohit Sharma
This classy right hander from Mumbai looks settled in his role as the Mumbai Indians captain. He has managed to win the championship twice as skipper, and moreover he performs consistently when the burden of captaincy is on his shoulders.

It is of course too soon to reason that Kohli needs a replacement; many a leader has worn their heart on their sleeve and produced remarkable results – Sourav Ganguly springs to mind.

It is a fervent hope that in the next five years India does become the team to beat in the Test circuit under his leadership, as he had laid out his long-term plans.