Extra pressure on Kohli as he looks for a legacy-validating win

Few Indian captains have taken on the cricket board in the manner Kohli has, and that too before an important tour.

There is a folktale about a shepherd boy who pronounced judgement that was both fair and sagacious. An otherwise ordinary boy, he was inspired while sitting on a mound to mete out justice. This intrigued the villagers enough to dig up the mound in search of the magic – and they found it. It was the buried throne of Vikramaditya, a wise and just king.

So powerful was it that anyone who sat nearby became like the king himself.

I’ve always thought of that as a wonderful metaphor for one of the most powerful thrones in India – that of the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Except that while Vikramaditya’s throne elevated one, the board’s did the opposite.