Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 18 : In an insightful conversation, Indian cricket stalwart Virat Kohli and head coach Gautam Gambhir delved into the challenges and excitement surrounding Test cricket and the evolution of the Indian team. A video of the coversation was release by the BCCI.
Kohli, who took over the Test captaincy in 2015 during a transitional period for Indian cricket, shared his thoughts on the journey and the meticulous planning that went into shaping the team.
"The thing that excited me about Test cricket, when I was coming up, when I was given the Test captaincy was-The challenge. The team was undergoing a transition, with you (Gambhir and other veterans) paving the way for a younger team. Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) had also left the captaincy," Kohli began, reflecting on the early days of his captaincy.
At just 25-26 years of age, Kohli found himself at the helm of a team primarily composed of players in their twenties. The task ahead was daunting--how could this young team become as iconic as their predecessors? Kohli recounted his thought process, "I was 25-26 years of age, wondering how me and my team, mainly consisting of players in their 20s, could become the household names the way you all did. I sat down and thought it out. I really needed to plan it out. It just could not happen by chance."
This realization led Kohli to adopt a forward-thinking approach. He envisioned where Indian cricket needed to be in the next seven years and began devising solutions.
"When I thought from the point of view of where Indian cricket has to be in the next 7 years, the solutions started to come. We needed good fast bowlers. We need batters who can bat long. We need five batters and a keeper to take ownership and get us to 350-400 runs. We can't have a 7th option to give cushion to batters. All these things played in my mind, and communication happened accordingly."
For Kohli, these challenges were not deterrents but rather sources of excitement and motivation.
"This all excited me. It did not make me feel like 'Oh, I do not want to be a part of this.' This is when I felt I'm all in," he expressed with passion.
It was this fervour that helped Kohli instill a new culture within the changing room, one built on resilience, planning, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.
This conversation between Kohli and Gambhir offers a glimpse into the mindset of a captain who transformed Indian Test cricket, laying the foundation for future successes.