He may have not won an ICC trophy with India, but there is no doubt that Virat Kohli has taken this team to unprecedented heights in world cricket. With 33 wins, Kohli is India's most successful Test captain of all time, and with him in charge, the Indian team has accomplished distinctions which not too many thought it could. From winning a Test series in Australia, to having England on the mat earlier this year, Kohli has transformed India into a formidable unit.
Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh on Monday shared the perfect anecdote to show how Indian Test captain Kohli played the role of a leader and shaped this present India team. Talking to India TV on how well Kohli's aggressive attitude on field goes with Team India, Harbhajan admitted that it perfectly suits this team and that they need more players like him to lead this Indian team forward.
"It suits perfectly actually and we need players like him in the team to can take the team forward. When team used to go to Australia, they used to think about how to save the Test match. In Virat's captaincy, team goes to Australia thinking how they can win the Test series," he said.
The veteran spinner, who announced his retirement last Saturday, recalled one of his conversation with Kohli hinting towards the latter's Adelaide knock of 141 in 2014 against Australia where the 33-year-old had stressed on India's need to fight and win series in overseas conditions and not aim to save the Test.
"I remember in one of those series, where he had scored a lot of runs, although India had lost the Test series. India had to chase some 400 runs in that match and Kohli had scored a big century. So when he returned to the pavilion I told him that match could have ended in a draw, but he replied that 'there is no importance of a drawn Test, either you win or you lose and the day we learn to fight, we will learn to win and someday we will'," Harbhajan recalled.
{{/usCountry}}"I remember in one of those series, where he had scored a lot of runs, although India had lost the Test series. India had to chase some 400 runs in that match and Kohli had scored a big century. So when he returned to the pavilion I told him that match could have ended in a draw, but he replied that 'there is no importance of a drawn Test, either you win or you lose and the day we learn to fight, we will learn to win and someday we will'," Harbhajan recalled.
{{/usCountry}}"And that is the change you have noticed in this Indian side. They went to Australia and beat them twice, they played well in England and I hope they beat South Africa in this series. So Kohli has perfectly played his role as a leader. And the aggressive approach, that has made Virat Kohli the player he is today. Had he been soft like MS Dhoni, I don't think he would have scored these many runs."
India did lose that series in 2014 where Kohli had taken over the captaincy from Dhoni following his shock retirement post the Adelaide game, but four years later, he led the team to a historic Test series win Down Under, which was India's first ever win in Australia. The team emulated the feat in 2020/21 series as well, despite missing most, if not all their regular players, which included a famous Gabba win.