"For me it was like, I am 25 and I have this team of 24-25 year olds" - Virat Kohli on being appointed as Test captain in 2014
Team India batter Virat Kohli opened up on the challenges after being appointed as the Test captain following MS Dhoni's departure from the red-ball circuit. He ended up being the most successful Test captain in Indian history, making the team competitive overseas, and laying down the foundation for fitness and a potent seam bowling attack.
Kohli was tasked with leading Team India for the first time during the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar opening Test in Adelaide. He took over the leadership responsibilities from Dhoni, who was recuperating from a hand injury.
The ace batter led from the front, scoring twin centuries, as India went for a mammoth run chase in the final innings. He was appointed skipper on a full-time basis after MS Dhoni stepped down from the role and the format midway through the series.
Kohli remarked how he had to phase out the transition and implement a blueprint for India to succeed in the red-ball game at a young age.
"The thing that excited me about Test cricket and when I had the chance to lead the Test side, was the challenge. We were transitioning then, when you guys had made way for a younger team, and Mahi bhai had left captaincy. For me it was like, I am 25 and I have this team of 24-25 year olds, and how do we become a team that become household names like you guys became," Kohli told Gambhir in their interaction released by the BCCI.
"When I started thinking from the point of view where Indian cricket has to be in seven years time, the solutions came. We needed good fast bowlers, batters who can bat long, needed to give ownership to the five batters and the keeper to get 350-400 runs," he elaborated.
Virat Kohli revolutionized India's mentality in overseas matches, infusing and instilling aggression into the setup. More importantly, he identified and groomed the right candidates to completely transform the seam bowling unit, resulting in some iconic wins in South Africa, Australia, and England in the recent past.
"If you want to judge someone's personality and character, push him in Test cricket" - Gambhir concurs with Kohli regarding red-ball format
Ahead of his first red-ball assignment as Team India head coach, Gautam Gambhir agreed with Kohli over the views that red-ball cricket is the pinnacle format. The former player explained his stance surrounding the longest format's future, admitting that the task of finding the next crop of red-ball bowlers will be one of his toughest tasks at the helm.
"The best format in cricket, if you want to judge someone's personality and character, is push him in Test cricket, and you will get to know everything about him. If we can build a culture where people come in and say that this is the priority, then that is it," Gambhir said.
"When you spoke about having a strong red-ball team, a lot will depend on the next generation of bowlers. We will keep getting quality batters. Does the younger generation have the motivation to go out there and bowl 20 overs in Chennai's heat? If you enjoy that, that is the only way you will be motivated to play red-ball cricket. For example, I spoke to Jasprit yesterday, he just wants to bowl," he added.
Team India are scheduled to take on Bangladesh in the first of the two-match Test series at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai from Thursday, September 19 onwards.