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Shastri Identifies Kohli as Test Cricket Flagbearer

Kohli, who pulled out of ongoing Tests against England due to personal reasons, led the team in 68 Test matches and won 40 of them, making him India’s most successful captain…reports Asian Lite News

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri said his aim was to win and make Test cricket paramount and, in this pursuit, he identified an uncut diamond in Virat Kohli, who would go on to captain the team in this format.

Kohli, who pulled out of ongoing Tests against England due to personal reasons, led the team in 68 Test matches and won 40 of them, making him India’s most successful captain. He gave up Test captaincy after India lost the series in South Africa 2-1 in 2021/22.

Under his captaincy, India got their first-ever Test series win in Australia in 2018/19, as well as making it to the final of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship in 2021, where they lost to New Zealand at Southampton.

“There was a lot of individual brilliance but I wanted to see team brilliance. I wanted to win and to make Test cricket paramount and identified an uncut diamond in Virat Kohli. While (MS) Dhoni was my captain, my eye was on him (Kohli). I told him very early in my second month: ‘It’ll take time but watch, observe, be ready (for the captaincy)’,” said Shastri to Michael Atherton in a conversation for The Times.

Shastri, a member of India’s 1983 ODI World Cup winning team, had initially joined the Indian team in 2014 as a team director and became the head coach in 2017 till 2021 Men’s T20 World Cup. He was also appreciative of Kohli’s willingness to play Test cricket and do the tough things for needing to succeed in the format.

“Kohli was fully engaged with Test cricket. He was passionate. He was prepared to do the hard yards and was prepared to play tough cricket, which fitted my way of thinking. When you play Australia or Pakistan you’ve got to have a ‘no complaints’, ‘no excuses’ attitude.”

“We were on the same page and wanted a battery of fast bowlers. He was ready for a scrap. He wanted to play hard. We made it a free-for-all in the nets. You were allowed to bounce the shit out of anyone. He was the first guy to embrace it; he was quite prepared to look ugly in the nets and the mindset changed.”

That battery of fast-bowlers helped India unearth a gem in Jasprit Bumrah, who recently became the first fast-bowler from the country to sit at top of ICC Test Rankings. Bumrah had taken a match haul of nine wickets in India’s 106-run win over England in the second Test at Visakhapatnam and also became the fastest Indian bowler to reach 150 wickets in the format.

Shastri recalled how eager Bumrah was about succeeding in Test cricket. “I remember my first call to him, it was in Kolkata. I asked him would he be interested in Test cricket. He said that would be the biggest day of his life.”

“He was labelled as a white-ball cricketer without asking him. But I knew. I wanted to see how hungry he was. I told him to get ready, be prepared. I told him I was going to unleash him in South Africa.”

“He’s so excited to be playing and doing well in Test cricket. He was desperate to play Test cricket with Virat Kohli. They know, at the end of the day, no one remembers white ball averages. They will always remember your numbers in Test cricket,” he concluded.

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‘Time for Rohit, Virat’s T20 Comeback’

Rohit and Virat were absent from T20I for over a year, engaged in preparations for the 2023 World Test Championship final and the 2023 ODI World Cup, where India finished as runners-up in both events…reports Asian Lite News

One of the biggest talking points from India’s selection for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan, starting from January 11, has been the return of captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are now in line to mark their first T20I appearance after playing in the T20 World Cup in Australia in November 2022.

Amidst the chatter over recall of Rohit and Virat being a step back from India’s youthful policy in the format, MSK Prasad, the former India chief selector, thinks the duo should be getting back to action in the shortest format and said there are no doubts in his mind about the veteran duo playing the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies from June 1-29.

“I do understand that Rohit and Virat were given a bit of rest after the South Africa tour. I think that was needed, after a mega event like the ODI World Cup. They needed that kind of a break. So, fortunately, they have had a healthy break and have done reasonably well, the youngsters. See, my opinion is there’s absolutely no doubt that Virat and Rohit will be a part of the T20 World Cup, so they should start playing right from this series,” said Prasad to Star Sports.

Rohit and Virat had been absent from the T20I format for more than a year due to being present in lead-up to the 2023 World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup in 2023 on home soil, where India finished runners-up on both occasions.

“The question arises, why they didn’t play after the last T20 World Cup. The reason they didn’t play is we were heading towards an ODI World Cup, so we predominantly wanted to focus on ODIs. That’s the reason they offered other youngsters who were maybe thinking towards the T20 World Cup.”

“So that’s a wonderful thing from both of them, and even the selectors and team management have got it right. Because if we are heading towards the ODI World Cup, it is better to focus on the ODIs, and we had the WTC also. So, they were focusing on test cricket and ODI cricket. Now that we are heading towards a T20, they should be back to action,” added Prasad, the former India wicketkeeper-batter.

It will be the first time India will be facing Afghanistan in a bilateral men’s T20I series, with the matches happening on January 11, 14 and 17 in Mohali, Indore and Bengaluru respectively. This will be India’s last international series before the T20 World Cup.

“I would definitely prefer to have the best possible team. The reason is that these are the only three T20s that are left before we get into the IPL and get into an actual T20 format. But for the injured players, I think I would definitely have our main players playing in this T20. Let’s not forget that Afghanistan is a very competitive side and will do whatever possible,” added Prasad.

He also thinks the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee will have a headache over picking India’s squad for the mega event. “I think players like Virat, Rohit, even for that matter, Shami, Bumrah, Siraj, Jadeja, and Hardik, other than those names, there are a few places where I feel players like Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson, if KL Rahul is keeping wickets, who is your second keeper? What if Rishabh Pant is fit? What if Ishan Kishan is ready?”

“If we are going to pick him, what order is it? So I don’t think that we need somebody at the top of the order. We needed someone in the middle order, so if Sanju throws his hat into the selection, all these things will definitely come into the picture.”

“Somebody like Yashasvi Jaiswal or even Shubman Gill, form will definitely be a factor, he’s established but still these are few places which will definitely depend on the form they will exhibit in the IPL. So it’s important they keep ringing the bell so the selectors have a good headache.”

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‘Ahmedabad ton gave me a grounded feeling back’

After a wait of 1205 days, Kohli registered his first Test century since 2019 and overall 28th, in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this month…reports Asian Lite News

Star India batter Virat Kohli has said that he felt a sense of calmness and excitement after scoring a hundred against Australia in Ahmedabad which ended his three-year century drought in Test cricket.

After a wait of 1205 days, Kohli registered his first Test century since 2019 and overall 28th, in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this month.

There was a gap of 41 innings between his last century and a ton in Ahmedabad, with the previous one coming over three years ago against Bangladesh in November 2019, where Kohli scored a sublime 136 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

“When I made the hundred and converted it into a big one, that gave me a sense of calmness, relaxation, and excitement again. You kind of become comfortable with your game, and your thinking, and your heart is not rising before the next practice session. You eventually want to be in such a space. And that particular hundred gave me a grounded feeling back,” Kohli said in a chat with his good friend and his RCB teammate AB de Villiers on the latter’s YouTube show.

Just from a cricketing perspective. In life, I was pretty happy and relaxed. But when playing also, you want to be in that space as much as possible,” he added.

“I and AB have been in touch for a while. He knows how much I value Test cricket. Even though I had performed in T20Is again and scored ODI centuries and all that stuff, I always felt that white-ball cricket, for me, was more of a thing where if you go in with the right frame of mind on a particular day or for a certain period of time, you can get past the hurdles,” Kohli further said.

“But even though we played the Test on a wicket that is not offering too much to the bowlers, you still have to bat for good 7-8 hours sometimes, because they (Australia) are that patient with their fields and they could go defensive. It was just testing me constantly. That is something that I have always cherished as a cricketer,” he continued.

The former India skipper further said that he was happy with his contributions to the team but was not doing enough to convert his decent score into big runs.

Kohli had gone without a fifty-plus score in his last 15 innings in Tests before he scored 186 against Australia.

“I was getting decent scores, but if you ask me if I was happy with what I was doing. I wasn’t. I pride myself in performing for the team to the best of my ability, I certainly wasn’t doing that enough. I wanted to score big runs, that’s something that always propelled me, whether it was at home or away. I was doing that to a certain extent. But I was not having the same kind of impact that I had before,” Kohli said.

The stylish batter will next be seen in action in the third ODI of the three-match series against Australia, scheduled on Wednesday at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

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BCCI thanks India’s most successful Test captain

The 33-year-old Kohli, who took over as full-time Test captain in early 2015 when MS Dhoni had announced retirement in Australia, steps down as India’s most successful captain in the format, with 40 wins in 68 Tests, reports Asian Lite News

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday thanked Virat Kohli for his admirable leadership qualities after the star batter stepped down as the Test skipper of India with immediate effect.

The 33-year-old Kohli, who took over as full-time Test captain in early 2015 when MS Dhoni had announced retirement in Australia, steps down as India’s most successful captain in the format, with 40 wins in 68 Tests.

He helped the side to a historic Test series win in Australia, and took them to the top of the ICC Test rankings. Under him, India also reached the final of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship.

The BCCI took to Twitter to thank Kohli for his contribution.

“BCCI congratulates #TeamIndia captain @imVkohli for his admirable leadership qualities that took the Test team to unprecedented heights. He led India in 68 matches and has been the most successful captain with 40 wins,” said BCCI in a tweet.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah also congratulated Kohli on a tremendous tenure as Team India captain.

“Congratulations to @imVkohli on a tremendous tenure as #TeamIndia captain. Virat turned the team into a ruthless fit unit that performed admirably both in India and away. The Test wins in Australia & England have been special,” Shah tweeted.

BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal also termed Virat as a phenomenal leader.

Congrats @imVkohli for a great tenure as captain. You have been a phenomenal leader and beyond doubt the most successful Indian captain be it home or overseas.I wish you great success in future and I’m sure you’ll keep contributing with your top class batting for team India @bcci .

Kohli had earlier given up T20I captaincy after the 2021 T20 World Cup, and was succeeded as skipper in ODIs by Rohit Sharma.

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Virat Kohli quits as India Test captain

Kohli stepped down from Test captaincy as the most successful skipper in the longest format of the game for India and fourth overall, reports Asian Lite News

A day after India lost the series 1-2 to South Africa with a seven-wicket defeat at Cape Town, Virat Kohli has stepped down as the Test captain.

Kohli, who first captained India at the Adelaide Test in 2014 against Australia, was appointed to the full-time role after MS Dhoni announced his retirement from the format ahead of the fourth Test at Sydney in January 2015. It also means that the Cape Town Test was the last match of Kohli as India captain.

“It’s been 7 years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. I’ve done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it’s now. There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey, but never has there been a lack of effort or lack of belief,” said Kohli in his statement posted on his social media accounts on Saturday.

Kohli stepped down from Test captaincy as the most successful skipper in the longest format of the game for India and fourth overall. Under his time as the captain, India played 68 Tests, winning 40, losing 17 and drawing 11 matches, having a win percentage of 58.82 while registering memorable wins in overseas and home conditions.

“I have always believed in giving my 120 percent in everything I do, and if I can’t do that, I know it’s not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team. I want to thank the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such a long period of time and more importantly to all the teammates who bought into the vision I had for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation. You guys have made this journey so memorable and beautiful,” added Kohli.

The most notable victories from the time under Kohli will be the 2018/19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy win, where India won a Test series in Australia for the first time and leading 2-1 in England in the 2021 series apart from reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Southampton in the same year. He also took the Indian team to the number one ranking in Tests apart from overseeing the development of the pace-attack reaching a world-class level and fitness being given prime importance.

“To Ravi Bhai and the support group who were the engine behind this vehicle that moved us upwards in Test Cricket consistently, you all have played a massive role in bringing this vision to life. Lastly, a big thank you to MS Dhoni who believed in me as a Captain and found me to be an able individual who could take Indian Cricket forward,” concluded the 33-year-old Kohli.

In September 2021, Kohli had announced that he would be leaving the T20I captaincy after the Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE. He had also stepped down as the captain of IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after the completion of the second half of the tournament in the UAE. Two months later, in December, Kohli was replaced by Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain.

It will be interesting to see who becomes the next Test captain of India. The team’s next Test assignment will be against Sri Lanka in a two-match series at home in February-March.

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