Head coach Gautam Gambhir emphasised with Virat Kohli's younger self when he was given captaincy of the Indian Test team after the retirement of MS Dhoni in early 2015. Kohli captained his first Test for India in December of 2014 – the Adelaide Test against Australian for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with Dhoni missing out due to a thumb injury. But Kohli would soon transition into that role full time after Dhoni announced he was done with Test cricket after drawing the final game in Sydney. Of course, seven years later, Kohli finished as India's most successful Test captain bagging 40 wins, but despite taking Indian cricket to unprecedented heights – such as the pinnacle of the ICC Test rankings and winning the mace five years in a row, Kohli didn't exactly slip into captaincy like a fish to water.
Kohli, 25 when he took over as India's full-time Test captain, immediately realised the need of the hour. With the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag ending their careers, it was time for the younger generation to step up and who better than Kohli, the Under-19 World Cup winner, to take this team forward and usher into a new era. Reflecting on his initial days as India's Test captain, Kohli revealed he often found himself without answers, but began finding them as he went along the way.
"The thing that excited me about Test cricket and when I was coming up as captain was the challenge. We were transitioning when you guys had made way for a youngster team and Mahi bhai left Test captaincy. I was 25, so for me it was like 'I am here with a bunch of 24-25 year-old guys. How do we become household names?' We sat down and thought 'I really need to plan this out. This can't happen by chance'," Kohli told head coach Gambhir in an interview arranged by the BCCI.
"When I started thinking from the point of view where Indian cricket has to be in 7 years' time, the solutions came. We need a group of fast bowlers. We need batters who can bat long. We need to give ownership to five batters and a keeper to get us 350-400. We can't have a seventh option. I remember the challenge excited me. I didn't feel like 'Oh my god! I don't want any part in this'. And that's when I was like I am all in."
{{/usCountry}}"When I started thinking from the point of view where Indian cricket has to be in 7 years' time, the solutions came. We need a group of fast bowlers. We need batters who can bat long. We need to give ownership to five batters and a keeper to get us 350-400. We can't have a seventh option. I remember the challenge excited me. I didn't feel like 'Oh my god! I don't want any part in this'. And that's when I was like I am all in."
{{/usCountry}}Gambhir credits Kohli for India's rise
Understanding his point of view, Gambhir echoed Kohli's sentiments and credited him for bringing a revolution in Indian cricket. Under the watchful eyes of Kohli, coach Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharat Arun, India assembled a stock of fast bowlers that made picking 20 wickets a norm both home and away. With a five-pronged pace attack comprising Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj, India won consecutive Test series in Australia and gave England a run for their money on their soil. For that, Indian cricket will forever be thankful to Kohli.
"I can understand what you might have gone through. A 24-25 year-old boy taking up Test captaincy and then what you did brilliantly was that you had a really strong bowling unit. Test matches are won by taking 20 wickets. Till the time you don't have a strong bowling line-up, you won't [win]. And that is what made you the most successful Test captain in the country," said Gambhir in reply.
"Credit has to go to you because as a batter it is very easy to have a strong 6-7 batters putting runs on the board but the way you identified and more importantly, the attitude which you brought on the field from fast bowlers. Imagine having people like Shami, Bumrah, Ishant, Umesh and then winning overseas. I remember you playing that knock in Adelaide. We were chasing 400; it was your first game as captain, and you still wanted to win that Test match. That is the mindset, that is the culture we want to bring in."