Virat Kohli's commitment towards the game's most traditional format has always been reassuring and respectworthy. But the Indian captain has now given his team another goal to fulfil. He wants his young but experienced side to now dominate the realms of Test match cricket in all conditions. 

"I wouldn't say goal but I would rather speak of a vision, which is for India to be a superpower in Test cricket or a very, very strong side in Test cricket in the years to come," Kohli told Star Sports after India's historic maiden Test series victory in Australia. 

"I think if Indian cricket respects Test cricket, and Indian players respect Test cricket, then Test cricket will stay at the top because of the fan base that we have all over the world."

"If we focus too much on shorter formats - yes, they're important - but if we solely focus and look at them as an escape or an excuse to not be in the kind of situations that Test cricket presents to you, then I think there'll start being a mental problem with the cricketers coming up."

Kohli, who took over the leadership reign from MS Dhoni during the 2014-15 tour down under, is now one of the most successful Indian captains to have ever played the game with dominating victories home and away either side of disappointments in South Africa and England last year. 

He further said, "As long as you're willing to wake up every morning for five days and do the hard yards and go do the dirty work - if you're willing to bat for two hours and not score a run for the team - I think that is what people should prepare [for]." 

"And that will require the team to lay out a certain things that needs to be done and for the next lot to keep following. So the next lot that comes in, they have to maintain that vision and then the people coming in will follow. I hope that continues and I will try my level best for as long as I can to keep that culture going."

The skipper also thanked Ravi Shastri for his role as a head coach in making his job easier than people seem to give him credit for. 

"Ever since 2014, I think he's one person who's given me honest feedback whenever things required to be altered. I remember we sat down. I'd scored a Test century and a fifty in the same game in England, so he called me and he said, as far as batting is concerned, I'm not going to discuss anything with you now because you've done some something which I am proud of and everyone is proud of," Virat added. 

"But as a captain, we need to start thinking how to get the best out of this team and how to tactically be spot on. And that really hit me because I felt like, you know, there's so much more to captaincy than you sometimes think."

"Just to be able to get feedback from a person who makes you feel like the small contributions are much bigger in the in the scheme of things than you going out there and scoring runs yourself (was useful). It's (about) how you speak to the players, how you motivate the team. How you take decisions in crunch situations, how you're aware where the game is heading."

(Inputs from PTI)