IPL 2020 | Would RCB have won if Virat Kohli was not the skipper, asks Aakash Chopra
Kohli led RCB to the first eliminator against SRH
|IPLT20
Aakash Chopra, post the conclusion of IPL 2020, has questioned people who have raised their voice on Virat Kohli’s captaincy, asking if RCB would have won if Kohli wasn’t their skipper. He also added that if you look at it from the other side, Kohli has helped RCB reach the last four twice.
RCB’s dreaded luck combined with Virat Kohli’s strategies has made the franchise one of the worst-performing sides in the league. Despite having the likes of AB de Villiers, Chris Morris and a plethora of young Indian talents, the team finished fourth on the table and failed in the first eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where their batting failed to arrive. Following the end of the season, questions, as usual, have been raised over the 31-year-old Virat Kohli’s captaincy.
It also saw former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir slam fellow Delhiite, calling Kohli as the reason for RCB’s downfall and instead pointed out numerous examples of captains in the league who have got the sack after two poor campaigns. However, Aakash Chopra has a polarising view, with the former opener asking the critics whether RCB would have won if Kohli wasn’t their skipper.
“There is a question that because Kohli has been the captain of RCB for 8 years, and the team is not able to win, then he should be removed and that he should also be removed as the Indian T20 captain,” said Chopra on his show.
“I have a small question to all critics. I am not a fan of Kohli’s captaincy, but I want to put forth my views in an impartial manner that would RCB have won the tournament if anyone other than Kohli was their captain, would this team have gone further ahead,” he asked.
Alongside that, the right-handed opener also commented that if RCB have reached the last four, it has been because of Kohli’s captaincy this time.
“If you are saying that, then also say that they reached the last four because of him, which is also wrong because it is not the case that they qualified because of Kohli’s captaincy this time, and they wouldn’t have if he was not the captain,” said Chopra.
He also pointed out that the team plays as good as they are set up and downplayed Kohli’s bad tactics and leadership as one of the reasons for failure for the franchise. Chopra also stated that if he was that bad, his numbers for the Indian team would have reflected the same.
“In my opinion, the team will play as good as it is. The captaincy input is there’ good captains do a good job, but Kohli is not as bad a captain as people have made him out to be. If he had been that bad, his numbers for the Indian team would have been bad as well,” he signed off.
