Ex-India Coach: Kohli Pushed Limits, Should Have Stayed Captain

Former India coach Sanjay Bangar prominently asserted that Virat Kohli should have remained Test captain for a longer period. Kohli ended his tendency as one of the most successful Test captains, having led the team to 40 Test victories. This places him fourth in the all-time list of most successful Test captains, behind Graeme Smith (53), Ricky Ponting (48), and Steve Waugh (41).

He excelled when endowed with the Test captaincy during the 2014/15 tour of Australia. Under his leadership, the Indian batting superstar obtained 5,864 runs at an average of 54.80. In 2019, Kohli surpassed the legendary MS Dhoni, who had 27 wins, to become India’s most successful Test captain. Despite his extraordinary tendency, Kohli's decision to step down after the 2022 Test series against South Africa surprised many, including Bangar, who believed he should have continued leading the team.

"I personally feel that he should have continued for longer as a Test captain because he probably captained India in 65 Test matches, and one of the things I feel is that he could have probably continued as a Test captain for a longer period, " Bangar said on the Rao podcast.

Bangar, a former batting coach who worked with Kohli during his captaincy, stated that Kohli concentrated on achieving positive results in overseas conditions, as the team was already dominant at home.

"Virat was driven by the fact that India had to improve their performances overseas. Because in India we know that whether anybody is there or not, with all due respect to the opposition, if you come to India, India is winning 75 percent of the time. You'll really have to play poorly to lose in India," he added

Bangar: Virat Kohli Reached Exceptional Levels of Fitness

During his captaincy, Kohli sparked a fitness revolution in Indian cricket by exemplifying discipline, which inspired other players to follow his lead. Bangar highlighted that Kohli pushed his physical limits to the extreme to maximize his performance.

"He himself achieved enormous levels of fitness and challenged his physical limits to the hilt. He worked the hardest. I think he scored the maximum runs during that period as a captain and he had that drive," he concluded.