The curious Indian case of 183

Sitting 18 Kilometers away from Eden Gardens nursing my sore throat with a hot chocolate. My mind was busy analyzing the day that was. Other than leaving the comforts of home, I kept going back to the riveting day of test cricket that Eden Gardens produced. Having a two-hour layover here in Kolkata. It made a lot of sense to blog about cricket. I have no qualms in accepting that the Test season has me completely gripped (which has my little sister annoyed). Let's talk about what makes an Indian captain.

The first word that will come to your mind is 'character' - sure you need character to lead 10 men who play for over a billion people. What else? 'confidence' - obviously you need the confidence to back your decisions. Not everyone will give Joginder Sharma in a World Cup final even though you had an over in Harbhajan. 'consistency' - Ours is a hungry nation. If you do not perform consistently, it doesn't take long to see yourself become a nationwide villain. Character, Confidence and Consistency. Neat. But is that all? Powerpuff girls needed 'Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice' - But the professor ended up putting in Chemical X.

What is the Chemical X for an Indian Cricket Team Captain you ask? It is 183. Confused? Let me explain.

Long before a player becomes a successful captain, they need to score a handsome 183.

1. Saurav Ganguly

About a year before he was given the responsibility of cleaning up the mess that the match-fixing scandal left us in. He was busy sending the ball to cleaners in the '99 World Cup. In a Group A match against Sri Lanka.  The Indian team scored 373. Dravid and Ganguly shared a partnership of 318, a record at that time. They batted together for 45 overs. Ganguly ended up scoring 183 before getting out. A total of 7 sixes and 17 fours. We all know the wonders he did as the Indian Captain. Test wins in England, Australia and Pakistan top the chart. A World Cup final as well. The numbers don't show the courage he instilled in the side. The solid foundation is still doing wonders.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/65213.html

2. MS Dhoni

6 years before he would hit the famous six in Wankhade. Dhoni was busy giving Sri Lanka a nightmare. Chasing 1 run shy of 300, he came out when Tendulkar fell early. What followed, established Dhoni as one of the cleanest hitters of the ball. His innings of 183 included 10 sixes and 15 hours. He remained unbeaten. Dravid compared his innings with Tendulkar's famous 143 against Australia. The famous desert storm. As a captain, he got us two world cups, more than what anyone asked for.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/indvsl/engine/current/match/223634.html

3. Virat Kohli

Years before Kohli would learn to control his brute aggression. 3 years before he would lead the Indian side. Kohli destroyed Riaz, Gul and others in an Asia Cup tie. Riding high on the 321 chase in Hobart not even a month ago, Kohli came in the first over after Gambhir fell down. Partnerships with Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma ensured that Pakistan would never get the upper hand. The master of the chase as we call him. 22 Fours and just a single six. This tells you that Kohli believes in running and uses that to put the opposition under pressure. Even though Kohli was made captain under not-so-perfect conditions. He has done a great job in chinning up and taking that responsibility. The master of the chase as we call him. An aggressive leader and there is a lot of hope for him in the coming years.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/asia-cup-2012/engine/current/match/535798.html

Your highest limited overs score should be 183. That is the key to Indian Captaincy. Hence proved. You know what to do.