Ian Chappell explains why batsmen are good captains

India captain Virat Kohli right interacts with offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Day One of the fourth Test against England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday Ashwin has been a terrific performer for India in Test cricket over the last to seasons PicAFPVirat Kohli and Steve Smith are both very successful young batsman mdash captains Its an interesting debate which is the most important the batting or the captaincyTheres one major reason why most captains are batsmen rather than bowlers its easier for the willow wielders to separate their primary skill from the leadership roleA batting captain has little else to concentrate on other than scoring runs Its only when a declaration is in the offing mdash and then only if hes at the crease mdash that he has to concern himself with other mattersWhen the batsmancaptain is in the field he can concentrate solely on bowling changes and field placementsAustralia captain Steve SmithNot surprisingly a few of the captains who have been good bowlers have enjoyed great leadership success Richie Benaud and Imran Khan are two who readily leap to mindImran believed that to be a good captain you must understand bowling and its hard to refute his logic In the case of both Kohli and Smith they are at least parttime bowlers which helps them understand and have sympathy for what the trundler is trying to achieveThis is where a captain can veer off the rails Its not the skippers job to tell the bowler what he should be doing and where to place his field thats not a sign of a strong captain rather one lacking understandingThe captain only need ask a bowler how hes trying to dismiss the batsman and the field placings should then easily fall into placeField placement especially as it relates to a spinner is something that needs to be sorted out prior to going onto the field Its counterproductive for captain and bowler to be having serious debates over where the field should be while the match is in progressUnderstanding bowlersFor a captain who understands bowling mdash and especially in relation to spinners mdash the original placing of the field and any resultant changes should come fairly naturallyIf it doesnt then the bowler and in turn the team are in trouble Both Kohli and Smith have been more successful as batsman once they assumed the role of captain This indicates the selectors have chosen wisely as its crucial to anoint a player who will be buoyed rather than weighed down by the extra responsibilityThis makes the Indian and Australian method of choosing the captain far better than the one England employed in the days of both amateur and professional players Then England often chose the captain usually an amateur first followed by the rest of the teamNowadays its commonplace to appoint the captain from the chosen eleven Both Kohli and Smith have successfully managed a priority of being a batting captain never forget that making a mountain of runs is a sure way to lead by exampleKohli has displayed the ability to lift his already high standard in times of need and there was no better example than his second innings century against Australia at the Adelaide Oval Not only was it an inspirational innings it firmly declared his hand as a captain who would try to win the game for as long as humanly possibleEven when his team was going through a horror patch of five successive Test losses Smith remained the sides most consistent batsman His defiant forty eight not out in Hobart when all around him succumbed to the relentless South African attack was a great example of a captain who refused to wiltOne area where Kohli has shaded Smith is in the handling of spinners Under Kohlis leadership Ravichandran Ashwin has prospered as the attack leaderMeanwhile there have been times when Nathan Lyon has struggled to the point where his selection was in doubt until he produced a muchimproved effort in AdelaideFascinating contest aheadIt should be a fascinating contest between these two evolving skippers when they clash in early 2017 With both aspects mdash batting and captaincy mdash of equal importance itll be the one who provides plenty of runs and inspiration for his bowlers who will be holding aloft the BorderGavaskar trophy