Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has said that Virat Kohli should have continued as Test captain for a longer period. The batting stalwart’s tenure as captain of the Indian team ended in January 2022.
Virat Kohli was removed as the captain of the Test teams during the limited overs after the 2021 T20 World Cup, in which India failed to advance to the semi-final. However, many expected him to continue as the Test captain for a longer period. After being sacked as the T20I and ODI captain, Virat Kohli was the captain of the Test team for the 2021-22 tour of South Africa.
However, he decided to step down as Test captain immediately after the series against South Africa ended. A day after India lost the series 1-2, the right-handed batsman stepped down as Test captain, which left the cricket world shocked. Rohit Sharma replaced Kohli as captain across all formats.
Although India has performed well in all three formats under Rohit’s captaincy so far, Sanjay Bangar believes that Kohli should have continued to lead the Test team. Speaking on The Rao Podcast, the former India all-rounder highlighted that Kohli laid emphasis on doing well overseas. Bangar said that Kohli worked hard on himself and led the team from the front in Tests.
“I personally feel he should have continued for longer as Test captain because he probably captained India in 65 Test matches, and one of the things I feel is that he probably could have continued as Test captain for a longer period,” Bangar said.
“Virat was motivated by the fact that India had to improve their performances abroad. Because in India we knew that irrespective of whether anyone was there or not, with all due respect to the opposition, if you come to India, India wins 75 per cent of the time. Really, you will have to play badly to lose in India.”
“He himself reached enormous levels of fitness and pushed his physical limits to the limit. He worked very hard. I think he scored the most runs during that period as captain and he had that drive,” he added.
Sanjay Bangar said: “Virat Kohli could have remained the Test captain for a little longer.” (The Rao Podcast) pic.twitter.com/VcHgpOzVrG
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 25, 2024
Virat Kohli’s record as a Test captain:
Virat Kohli is one of India’s most successful captains in the longest format of the game. Under his captaincy, India not only rose to the top of the ICC rankings but also recorded several historic wins outside India. India won the Test series in Sri Lanka in 2015, West Indies in 2016, Sri Lanka in 2017, Australia (2-1) in 2018-19 and West Indies in 2019 with Kohli as captain.
He led India in a total of 68 Test matches. Out of the 68 matches, India won 40 and lost 17, while 11 ended in a draw. 16 of the 40 wins came outside India. In 2021, he also led India to the final of the World Test Championship. He is also the first Indian captain to lead the team to 30 or more Test wins.
