Kohli retired as India's most successful Test captain
Former England captain Nasser Hussain heaped praise on Virat Kohli who called time on his Test cricket saying the 36-year-old changed the way India played the format.
Hussain, who himself has the reputation of being a fiery, commanding leader, singled out Kohli’s insatiable hunger to win as the reason for his greatness.
Kohli scored 30 hundreds and stopped 770 short of the hallowed 10,000-run club which was possible for fellow Indian greats Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
Kohli retired as India’s most successful Test captain with 40 wins out of the 68 matches. His win percentage is only topped by legendary skippers Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh.
“It was his aura, swagger, and passion. We know Indian cricket fans, and the game means so much to them. They want their captain to show them what it means to the team, and no one embodied that passion for cricket in India more than Kohli. He was an unbelievable player,” Hussain said on Sky Sport Podcast.
ALSO READ:
“For the legends of the game, they can’t get away from media scrutiny. They are in that goldfish bowl all the time. He took India to No 1 in the world, and they stayed there for about 42 months. He completely changed the way they play cricket,” Hussain added.
Kohli’s era of captaincy became the cornerstone for India’s pace revolution. Contrary to the tradition of using spinners as their main weapon, the Kohli picked teams which was frontloaded with pacers that would relentlessly play attacking cricket.
As a result, India won in England, South Africa and for the first time ever in Australia. Hussain highlighted the intensity with which Kohli marshalled his troops and won multiple series.
“He is the ultimate winner, he sees the end goal as a win, and he is desperate for that. Everything for Kohli is about winning. Why do you think he’s so good in run chases? He can’t go on the field and not be a hundred per cent, he can’t ever go: ‘I’ll just do my best today,’” Hussaid said.
The former right-hander felt that the draining effect of giving everything was the reason behind Kohli’s shock retirement decision.
“That may have formed part of his retirement decision, he doesn’t want to be a normal cricketer, just doing a little bit here and there. He made India into the force they are today,” he added.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
