Ex-Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar claims Virat Kohli could have continued as Test captain for a longer time. Kohli stepped down from the captaincy in January 2022 after a series loss to South Africa, with the final Test ending 2-1 in favor of the Proteas.
During his seven years as Test captain, Kohli elevated the Indian team to new heights, including a historic Test series win in Australia in 2018-19. His aggressive leadership style transformed India into a dominant force in Test cricket.
Bangar, who closely observed Kohli’s leadership and performance, thinks Kohli could have remained as captain longer, though he acknowledges that the demands of the role impacted his individual performance.
“Captaincy of the Indian team is a demanding 24/7 job, involving numerous off-field issues like team selection and performance, which can affect individual play. Kohli’s resignation allowed him to focus more on his batting, even though I believe he could have continued as captain a bit longer,” Bangar explained on The Rao Podcast.
Bangar also recalled a period when Kohli struggled to score double centuries in Tests. After making some adjustments, Kohli managed to score multiple double tons in a single season.
“Sustaining such high performance levels from 2014 to 2019 was incredibly challenging. Kohli’s passion led to several big scores, and after realizing a few tweaks could help, he scored five double centuries in one season,” Bangar noted.
Highlights Of Virat Kohli T20 Captaincy
Under Virat Kohli’s leadership, India won 27 out of 45 matches, with two tied games and two abandoned, resulting in a solid winning percentage of 65.11%. Despite not securing an ICC trophy during his tenure, Kohli’s leadership saw several notable series victories across different countries.
In 2017, Kohli led India to their first T20 bilateral series win by securing a one-off game in Sri Lanka. The following year, India achieved their first series victory in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries by winning 2-1 in South Africa.
That same year, India also managed to defeat a strong England team at home with a 2-1 series win. The highlight of Kohli’s leadership came in the 2019-20 season when India dominated New Zealand 5-0, although they later lost the ODI and Test series against the Kiwis.
In 2020, Kohli’s team bounced back from an ODI series loss in Australia to win the T20 series 2-1. Most recently, India overcame England at home with a 3-2 series win, and Kohli was named the player of the series. Kohli remains the leading run-scorer in T20 internationals with 3,159 runs, boasting an impressive average of 52.65 and a highest score of 94 not out.
