India head coach Gautam Gambhir has lauded Virat Kohli for his unwavering commitment to Test cricket, both as a player and as a captain. “When I was coming through the ranks, especially in a time when the T20 format and the IPL didn’t exist, first-class cricket was the ultimate goal. We aspired to get into the Test side,” Gambhir said during a chat with Kohli, in a video shared by BCCI.tv.
“While playing in the limited-overs formats was exciting, we always believed that we would be judged by our performances in red-ball cricket. The legacy you leave behind in the sport is deeply tied to how well you perform in Test cricket. You played a massive role when you spoke about how important Test cricket is for you.”
Kohli stepped down as captain of India’s Test team in 2022, a day after losing a Test series to South Africa 2-1 with a seven-wicket defeat in Cape Town.
He took over as full-time Test captain in early 2015 when MS Dhoni announced his retirement in Australia, and ended up as India’s most successful Test captain ever. Kohli’s stint as Test captain was largely successful, as he oversaw the team’s rise to No. 1 in the ICC rankings and several memorable overseas victories. In 2021, he led India to the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in Southampton.
“When I had the chance to take on that role [of captain], the challenge of transitioning from an older team to a younger one was exciting. I remember being just 25 years old, leading a group of players who were also in their early twenties. My focus was on how to create a team that could become household names, just like the generation before us.
“I knew it couldn’t happen by chance — it required careful planning. I started thinking about where Indian cricket needed to be in seven years, and from that, the solutions emerged. We needed a solid group of fast bowlers, batsmen who could anchor the innings, and the responsibility had to be shared among five key batsmen and a keeper who could consistently get us 350-400 runs. We couldn’t afford to rely on a seventh batter for cushioning. All these ideas came together, and I communicated them to the team accordingly,” Kohli said, reflecting on his time as Test captain.
Gambhir noted that in today’s world, the challenge is motivating the next generation to think the same way — valuing Test cricket as much as the current generation of Indian cricketers does. “When I was coming through the ranks, especially in a time when the T20 format and the IPL didn’t exist, first-class cricket was the ultimate goal. We aspired to get into the Test side. We always believed that we would be judged by our performances in red-ball cricket. The legacy you leave behind in the sport is deeply tied to how well you perform in Test cricket.
“If we can inspire them to continue seeing Test cricket as the pinnacle, Indian cricket will remain strong. I’m a firm believer that the stronger your Test team is, the stronger your overall cricketers are,” he said.
India will take on Bangladesh in the first Test of a two-match series at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai from 19 September.
Source Agencies
