Will the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 be the pinnacle of Virat Kohli’s legacy?

being 2-0 up.

As the opening rounds of the World Cup commence, Kohli may well be relieved that the English and Australian teams are in such formidable form, while his own team’s form is so under whelming. The upshot is that the weight of expectation on Kohli’s side is less than it has been in the previous two editions of the tournament, in 2011 and 2015. This is a double bonus for the Indian skipper: a middling tournament is almost expected of him, and would not raise any more eyebrows than usual, but a successful tournament would be nothing short of remarkable.

In fairness to Kohli, history is littered with great players who made mediocre captains. Sachin Tendulkar’s is the most famous name on that list, but so too appear the likes of Lara and Flint off. Kohli, though, has two important strengths on his side.

First and foremost is that, across the formats, Kohli performs better as captain than any player in history, averaging 80 in ODIs and 62 in Test matches (compared with career averages of 59 and 53).

If leading from the front is key, Kohli has already picked all the locks, and his spot in the side could not be more secure. Secondly, and most importantly, Kohli sees himself as a leader, and he regards this Indian team as his team. Unlike Tendulkar, who was always a reluctant captain, Kohli has been destined to lead the Indian senior side ever since he led the Under-19 side to a World Cup win in 2008, in a tournament featuring the likes of Steve Smith, Tim Southee and Darren Bravo.

Kohli's hunger to lead is a double-edged sword, given society’s almost sadistic ambivalence towards ambition. For a player so fundamental to India’s successes over the last decade, Kohli is criticised more regularly than one might reasonably expect.

But given that his flaws as a player are so few, arrows will naturally train on other targets; for Kohli these include the murky coup of former Indian coach Anil Kumble, his on-field demean our and, above all, his captaincy credentials.

Make no mistake, Kohli has nothing to prove to the game or to his fans; his success and influence in the sport are immutable and for now, this Indian team belongs to him. For born captains, leading an unfancied team into a World Cup is the stuff of dreams, not nightmares. But as he chases a historic but unlikely World Cup trophy, Kohli will be desperate to prove to himself that he is not just a great batsman, but a great leader. Time will tell whether his legacy will match that of his predecessor.