Ahead of his 100th test for India, Virat Kohli said he can look back at his stint as captain with pride having instilled a dressing-room culture which helped the team achieve memorable victories across the world.
Kohli stepped down as India’s test captain in January after seven years in charge during which he led the team to the top of the test rankings and reached the final of the inaugural World Test Championship last year.
India ended a 71-year drought in Australia when they sealed a maiden series victory in 2019 and they led 2-1 in a series in England last year before the final test was postponed.
“I’ve had the privilege and the opportunity to create a culture which I think I have set as a leader in the last few years,” Kohli told BCCI TV https://www.bcci.tv/videos/5556531/feels-surreal-playing-100-tests-for-india-virat-kohli ahead of the match against Sri Lanka in Mohali starting on Friday.
“I clearly remember when I took over test captaincy, I had this vision… that we needed to play certain kind of cricket and we need to be a certain kind of team in international cricket and we ended up achieving that five years in a row.
“So immensely proud. Just the atmosphere was something magical to be a part of – you entered the dressing room and you felt that you could win anywhere and that feeling was so empowering.”
Kohli took over as captain from MS Dhoni in 2014 and he won 40 of 68 tests – more than any other Indian skipper.
Having made his test debut in 2011, Kohli said he would be nervous when he walks out for his 100th game.
“It feels surreal. I never imagined I would play 100 tests for India,” he said. “I won’t lie. There have to be butterflies till the last game you play for India.”
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
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