'Challenged His Limits, Worked the Hardest': Ex-Batting Coach Says Virat Kohli Could've Continued as Test captain

Virat Kohli relinquishing India’s captaincy in Test cricket was a huge shock for his fans and the country’s cricket fraternity. He ended his tenure as India’s most successful captain in the longest format of the game with 40 victories under his belt, surpassing MS Dhoni’s tally of 27. Kohli thrived being the skipper of the Indian Test team as he racked up 5,864 runs at an average of 54.80 during that period.

But back in 2022, Kohli made this massive decision following an unsuccessful tour of South Africa and Rohit Sharma was appointed his successor. Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar believes that Kohli should have continued leading the Indian Test team a little longer.

“I personally feel that he should have continued for longer as a Test captain because he probably captained India in 65 Test matches, and one of the things I feel is that he could have probably continued as a Test captain for a longer period,” Bangar said on the Rao podcast.

Bangar, who has worked closely with Kohli in the Indian team and in the IPL, said the latter was focused on producing positive results with the team in overseas conditions.

“Virat was driven with the fact that India had to improve their performances overseas. Because in India we knew that whether anybody is there or not, with all due respect to the opposition, if you come to India, India is winning 75 per cent of the time. You’ll really have to play poorly to lose in India,” he added.

Kohli has been the driving force in the Indian team when it comes to fitness. While captaining the side, he brought a fitness revolution in Indian cricket as other players started following his footsteps. Bangar revealed that Kohli challenged himself to get the best out of him.

“He himself achieved enormous levels of fitness and challenged his physical limits to the hilt. He worked the hardest. I think he scored the maximum runs during that period as a captain and he had that drive,” Bangar concluded.