Virat Kohli holds the record for most Test wins by an Indian captain.
Kohli's decision to leave Test captaincy came just a day after India’s 2-1 Test series loss to South Africa.
During his captaincy tenure, Team India achieved tremendous success in the longest format of the game. He holds the record for most Test appearances as India Test captain (68) and he also holds the record for most Test wins by an Indian captain (40). Only Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, and Steve Waugh have won more matches than him as captain in Test cricket.
No wonder, Kohli’s decision came as a shock for everyone, including former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan.
“In terms of performances and percentage, Virat is the best captain. He changed the face of India’s Test cricket team and he will forever be remembered for his incredible feats as the skipper, there’s no doubt about it. But I feel he should have continued for a while because he has lot more to offer,” Pathan told Sportstar.
“But having said that, a lot was happening over the last few months, most of which we are not aware of. We don’t know what he is going through or what his perspective is. I really hope that Virat continues to contribute to Indian cricket in years to come as well. But I would have personally wanted him to continue as the captain in Test cricket because he has got that energy,” he added.
After the World T20 World Cup 2021 in November, Kohli had stepped down as T20I captain while he was removed as ODI skipper ahead of the ongoing South Africa tour.
“In terms of pressure, he has handled it well throughout his whole career. There is nothing which he can’t handle. I think he wanted to take a decision and clear things. Virat has a huge influence on Indian cricket as well as on the players. Even in the South Africa tour, he did his part as a leader. Over the years, Virat has contributed a lot in terms of changing the perception of India’s Test teams,” Pathan said.
According to Irfan Pathan, BCCI should hand over the responsibility of leading the Test side to Rohit Sharma for now. Notably, Rohit has already been shouldered with the responsibility to lead the white-ball side.
“Rohit is the only guy at the moment who can captain Indian team now for at least a couple of years, depending on his fitness. In the longer run, there has to be a leadership group with at least a couple of players who should be groomed. Along with KL Rahul, you need to add one more guy, who the selectors need to pick. That will have long-term benefits for Indian cricket,” Pathan said.
(Inputs from Sportstar)