Kohli's a father first, skipper next

Dubai - Kohli may not appear like Captain Courageous in these turbulent times with the pandemic threatening humanity and not just sport. But he is no deserter

Virat Kohli is a family man. And family comes first for men with a heart who put their wives and kids above team sport. It accentuates and elevates the character of a man who is more than just a batsman and skipper.

The Indian cricket team may be struggling to find their feet after hitting a nadir Down Under. They were bowled out for 36 in Adelaide — their lowest ever score in Tests, the fifth lowest ever.

The humiliation rankles, yet Kohli decided to go home to be with his wife ahead of childbirth next month. The Indian captain was, in fact, granted paternity leave in November, but the shocking defeat has turned the focus on his departure.

Shameful, the pundits have said in a chorus led by former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar and that was triggered by his son Rohan.

Kohli, the Indian batting lynchpin, may not appear like Captain Courageous in these turbulent times with the pandemic threatening humanity and not just sport. But he is no deserter. True, the chips are down in Australia but the likes of Gavaskar and his ilk are making heavy weather of a personal, family affair that is only Kohli’s business.

Cricket is merely a diversion in these uncertain times, a charade to say all is well when much of the world is wary of catching a breath without masks. Let’s be clear here: cricket is not the priority, life is, a life that is yet to be born and comes into a world that is engulfed in pain and suffering.

Kohli’s wife, the Bollywood actress and producer, Anushka Sharma, needs all the emotional support she can get in the final trimester of her pregnancy.

Her husband is the right man, the best person to be by her side. And he has rushed to the do right thing for the sake of their child and the health of the mother. Kohli junior’s health is the focus for the father-to-be, and the Indian captain must be lauded by men who claim to be leaders of men and fathers.

Kohli and his mates rightly deserve to be panned for their performance in the first Test but this debate boils down to family ties, the father-son relationship to be precise.

Rohan Gavaskar was right in questioning the Indian team’s dismal show. The selection of openers, the lack of application in the middle and throwing it all away without a fight in the second innings was ripe for criticism.

The younger Gavaskar, whose cricketing career didn’t get past 11 one-dayers, indulged in some virtual sparring on social media and, to his credit, scored a few brownie points in the process. The matter should have been put to rest there, but his more famous father’s paternal instincts got the better of him and the Indian batting legend rose to his son’s defence.

The trouble with legends and wannabes is that they don’t know when to hold their tongue. Digital media can be a scarring experience if one doesn’t know when to back off.

Sunil Gavaskar, in his bid to take the moral higher ground, has succeeded in opening old wounds about his performance on the field when the team needed him to rise above individual pursuits. Perhaps he should be reminded about the tortoise-like 36 he scored off 174 balls in the 1975 World Cup.

The effort didn’t serve the team’s cause one bit. He used up all the time and overs in the world. And he didn’t have family waiting on the other side of the world.

The Gavaskars have attempted to sow divisions when there were none, or at least none were out in the open. Here’s our advice to veteran cricketers. The game has changed, the pressures are manifold, but fathers will be fathers even if they are skippers.

Kohli is not a deserter, he has only done what any ordinary dad would do. Cut him some slack. It’s only cricket.