"Winning became a habit during his tenure" - Virat Kohli's childhood coach on the former skipper's captaincy record
Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma recently argued that his ward has an impressive record as Indian captain despite failing to lead the team to an ICC trophy victory.
During a discussion on India News Sports, Sharma remarked that when Kohli was in charge of the Indian cricket team, he was keen to make cultural changes. He also pointed out that there was a significant improvement in the side's performance in overseas matches during the period.
"His [Virat Kohli's] record speaks for itself," Sharma explained. "What Virat said was right. He led the Indian team with a lot of passion. He made it clear from the very first day of his captaincy that he wanted to bring a cultural change to Indian cricket.
"He wanted to make sure that the side dominates and wins in overseas conditions. Winning became a habit during his tenure."
The veteran coach further added that many from the cricketing fraternity consider Virat Kohli the best captain in the history of Indian cricket. He emphasized that the star batter's main goal was to ensure that the side plays aggressive cricket, adding:
"He achieved a lot as captain. It is unfortunate that he wasn't able to win an ICC trophy. India were also a bit unlucky a few times. Many current and former cricketers in the world have said that Kohli is the best-ever Indian captain. He put the team ahead of him. He wanted to win and play aggressive cricket."
Notably, Kohli captained India in a total of 213 matches across formats and won 135 of them. Under his leadership, India won 40 out of 68 Tests, making him the most successful Indian Test captain.
"He nurtured them and gave them a lot of confidence" - Rajkumar Sharma on fast bowlers thriving under Virat Kohli
Rajkumar Sharma further went on to say that Virat Kohli helped India create a potent fast bowling attack during his leadership days.
He highlighted that while India were always considered a batting-heavy side, Kohli groomed a number of pacers while at the helm. The 57-year-old elaborated:
"India were mostly dependent on their batting. Virat created a pool of fast bowlers. He nurtured them and gave them a lot of confidence. There was a time during that period when we had at least eight bowlers who could consistently hit the 140 kmph mark."
Virat Kohli opens up about Team India and ICC tournament failures as a captain. 🧢🇮🇳
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Kohli stepped down as India's T20I captain following the T20 World Cup in 2021 and was removed as the ODI captain soon after. The right-handed batter resigned as Test captain in January 2022 after India's tour of South Africa.