Virat Kohli led India through a very strong period in Test cricket. With Ravi Shastri as the head coach, Kohli created a time when India’s fast bowlers became very good and were considered among the best in the world. India won important series in Australia and had a draw in England. Kohli’s bold style of captaincy affected many players who played with him. Karn Sharma, a leg-spinner who played his first Test under Kohli, really admired Kohli’s way of leading the team.
Karn actually played his only Test during Kohli’s first Test as captain, which was the first game of India’s tour to Australia in 2014-15. Karn remembered that Kohli was very determined to win from his very first game as captain.
“We needed more than 300 runs to win that game, and Virat told us, ‘We won’t settle for a draw. We’re going to win this.’ His confidence really boosted everyone in the team room,” Karn remembered, talking on the ‘Second Innings with Manjot Kalra’ YouTube channel.
In that cricket match, India had to score 363 runs in the last part of the game. With Virat’s impressive 141 runs from 175 balls, India came very close to winning, but they lost by 48 runs because the last few players didn’t score enough.
“Virat had a unique way of leading. Every captain has their own style. But his message made it clear to the team that he had a special plan,” Karn explained.
Karn mentioned that Kohli never allowed a dip in performance to affect his attitude. In 2014, Kohli struggled during India’s trip to England, but he moved past that and scored heavily in Australia.
“He always seemed to be in a good place. Whether it was his training, his fitness, or his mental strategy, Kohli never seemed overly worried or anxious about having a poor Test series,” Karn explained.