The Indian Cricket Team is all set to tour West Indies for a full-fledged series. Virat Kohli will lead the side in all three formats and this series might well decide the fate of his captaincy. Many questions were raised on Kohli’s captaincy skills when India were knocked out in the semi-final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. The Delhi-born cricketer was criticised for his on-field tactics and not picking the best XI. Many cricket fans and experts demanded to hand over the reins to Rohit Sharma but the 30-year-old retained his position and his performance in this series will be critical in deciding his future as captain. Rift in Indian Cricket Team With Players Divided in Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma Camps, Claims Report; Is This the Reason Behind India’s Ouster From CWC 2019?

The number one ranked ODI batsman could well feel nostalgic in the series as it was in the Caribbean where the right-handed-batsman kick-started his captaincy career and six years down the line the skipper has to fight to retain his position. In 2013, Virat Kohli captained the Men in Blue for the first time in the tri-series in West Indies. Regular skipper MS Dhoni gained a hamstring injury in India’s opening encounter against West Indies which gave the chance to Virat Kohli to lead the side in India’s second game against Sri Lanka. Virat Kohli Recommends young Indian players to Learn from his mistakes Ahead of India vs West Indies Series 2019.

The rookie didn’t make a great start to his international captaincy career as Sri Lanka defeated India by a massive margin of 161 runs. However, he then bounced back in the next game against West Indies by scoring a match-winning ton and registering his first victory as national team's captain. Kohli further guided the Men in Blue to the finals where Dhoni returned and India eventually won the tournament.

After MS Dhoni decided to step down as the captain in 2017, Virat Kohli became his successor. The number one ranked Test batsman has a formidable record as a captain in international cricket but often gets criticised for his strategies. In the recently concluded World Cup, Kohli’s decision of dropping Mohammed Shami raised a lot of eyebrows and he was also questioned for sending MS Dhoni at number seven in the semi-final.

With the rise of Rohit Sharma as a captain in IPL, Kohli might well feel the heat of getting dethroned. Nevertheless, the selectors still showed faith in the right-handed batsman and gave him another chance to prove his mettle. Back in 2013, Virat Kohli showed a lot of promise in his first assignment as captain but this time the 30-year-old will have to fight to retain his position on the same soil.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 26, 2019 05:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).