‘Virat Kohli had that drive’ - Former India coach feels batting stalwart should have continued as Test captain

Virat Kohli may not have won any ICC trophies as a captain, but he is arguably the best Test skipper India has ever seen. Under his leadership, the Men in Blue made huge strides in red-ball cricket and he completely changed the outlook of the team when playing overseas.

Kohli took the captaincy for the first time during the 2014-15 tour of Australia. He is fourth in the list of most successful Test captains with 40 Test wins, behind Graeme Smith (53), Ricky Ponting (48) and Steve Waugh (41). Remarkably, the added responsibility did not affect his batting as the right-hander racked up 5,864 runs at an average of 54.80 as a Test captain. 

After India’s defeat in the 2022 Test series against South Africa, the 35-year-old stepped down as India’s Test captain. The decision sent shockwaves to the cricket fraternity, with many believing that Kohli should have remained at the helm at least in the longer format of the game.

Recently, former India coach Sanjay Bangar also opined that the ace cricketer should have continued to lead the team given the team's success overseas under his leadership. 

"I personally feel that he should have continued for longer as a Test captain because he probably captained India in 65 Test matches, and one of the things I feel is that he could have probably continued as a Test captain for a longer period," Bangar said on the Rao podcast. 

"Virat was driven with the fact that India had to improve their performances overseas. Because in India we knew that whether anybody is there or not, with all due respect to the opposition, if you come to India, India is winning 75 per cent of the time. You'll really have to play poorly to lose in India," he added.

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Kohli challenged his physical limits to the hilt: Bangar 

One of the notable aspects of Virat Kohli's tenure as captain was the way he transformed the concept of fitness in Indian cricket. He became a role model for the youth by constantly pushing the limits. 

"He himself achieved enormous levels of fitness and challenged his physical limits to the hilt. He worked the hardest. I think he scored the maximum runs during that period as a captain and he had that drive," he concluded.

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