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'His support of him was a master stroke': Australian great picks Virat Kohli's biggest achievement as Test captain
The former Australian captain did not point out any series win, or a particular Test match victory, but picked a development of a young player through Kohli's time as Test captain, calling it a "master stroke".
Australian great Ian Chappell on Sunday pointed out former Indian captain Virat Kohli's biggest achievement during his tenure as a leader in Test cricket. Chappell did not point out any series win, or a particular Test match victory, but picked a development of a young player through Kohli's time as Test captain, calling it a "masterstroke".
Kohli, who resigned from the role as Test captain earlier this month following the 2-1 defeat in South Africa, ended his tenure as the fourth-most successful captain in Test history, going by the number of wins secured. He also was India's most successful captain in the format, winning more Tests in SENA and overseas nations than any other skippers.
However, Chappell, in his column for ESPNCricinfo, pointed it out that one of Kohli's great achievements was instilling a love for the traditional format of the game. He further added that Kohli inspired his men to achieve victory in Test cricket which was apparent from their desire for success.
"One of Kohli's great achievements was instilling in his team a craving for Test cricket. Despite his all-encompassing success, Kohli's major aim was to achieve victory in the Test arena and this is where his passion really shone. There is no doubt that Kohli drove his men hard but it's also apparent they enjoyed competing and wanted success," he wrote.
Chappell, a former Australian captain, the pointed out that despite his innumerable personal achievements as a Test captain, Kohli's biggest was the development of Rishabh Pant.
"Kohli has a number of individual achievements in his resumé, none bigger than the development of Rishabh Pant as a wicketkeeper and batter. Kohli tended to get his way when it came to selection and some of his decisions in this area were a little questionable but there's no doubting his support of Pant was a master stroke," he wrote.
Pant was handed his Test debut in 2018, during the series in England. Under Kohli's leadership, he scored 1444 runs in 24 matches at 38 with four centuries. Three of his hundreds came away from home - against England in 2018, Australia in 2019 and South Africa in 2022.
Pant also played one of the pivotal roles in India's comeback victory in the 2020/21 series with back-to-back spectacular knocks in the fourth innings of a Test. His 97 off 118 in Sydney helped India salvage a draw in the third Test while his unbeaten 89 off 138 helped the visitors script a historic Gabba win.
