It’s incredible how much Virat Kohli has impressed and caught the attention in his 16-year-long international career and more so when he took over the captaincy of the Indian team in the longest format of the game. Before him, India was a calm-headed team in the red-ball format, lacking the required charge for Test cricket.
Virat Kohli had a poor summer in England during the 2014 series, when he collected only 134 runs in ten innings at an average of 13.40. But it was important for him to make a comeback in the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 in Australia.
With the injury of MS Dhoni, he was given the captaincy of the side for the opening Test in Adelaide and almost secured a victory in the encounter. But he showed how exciting his leadership stint is going to be with aggression and patience. With the Ranchi-boy taking his retirement from the longest format, the Delhi-born got the full captaincy.
Also Read: IPL Franchises CSK, MI, And KKR Amongst 6 Teams Bid For Stake In Hundred- Reports
In 2015, he won the three-match red-ball series against Sri Lanka with a 2-1 margin despite being behind in the contest. Virat Kohli had a tough time with the bat in England on their first trip, but later, when he returned for the 2018 tour, the right-handed batter was the leading run-getter of the five-match series with 593 runs at an average of nearly 60 and a strike rate of 57.85, with the help of three half-centuries and two centuries with a best score of 149.
Former UK PM hails the leadership style of Virat Kohli
Under his captaincy, India won their first red-ball series in Australia during the 2018-19 summer, as he ended up as the third-highest run-getter with 282 runs in seven innings at an average of 40.28, with the help of one half-century and one century at a best score of 123 that he smashed at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, has highlighted the first time he was told to follow the career of the 36-year-old during the 2018 summer in England when he smashed a hundred at Edgbaston.
“He (Virat Kohli) scored a century in the UK and I remember that very clearly. I was sitting with a person who is even bigger a cricket fan than I am, and he said watch this guy, he is very good.” David expressed this at the NDTV World Summit.
He was impressed with the incredible leadership of the batter and how he had changed the structure of Indian cricket for the five-day form of the game. In the past, the Blue Brigade always used to focus on the spinners and went on to win home Tests but Kohli’s eyes were always on the development of the pacers.
“I think in Virat Kohli, you have an extraordinary leader. Sometimes you can see, as we have done now with Ben Stokes as our captain, just the incredible leadership on the field and the inspiration, and I think you have that with Kohli. So, lots of great cricket players to watch.” The former UK PM added in the discussion.
Also Read: IPL 2025 Mega Auction To Be Held In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; BCCI Locks In Dates For The Event- Report
The Lord’s victory in 2021, followed by the win at the Kennington Oval in South London, are the games that will always increase the brightness of Virat Kohli’s CV as captain. He has bagged the fourth most wins (48) in the format in just 68 games at a percentage of 58.82, only behind Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, and Steve Waugh.
The next aim for him is to deliver India their third consecutive Test series victory down under.