3 Indian cricketers who owe their Test careers to Virat Kohli

Team India's most successful Test captain, Virat Kohli signed off from the top spot on Saturday, leaving behind a rich legacy as a leader. Under him, India won some memorable Test matches abroad and became a ruthless machine in home Tests.

Over the course of Kohli's tenure, he made many decisions that raised eyebrows, and many bold calls that ruffled feathers. These included dropping Ajinkya Rahane in South Africa in 2018, dropping R Ashwin in Australia in 2014 and then in England in 2021, and playing Kuldeep Yadav ahead of Ravindra Jadeja in England in 2018.

However, to the former skipper's credit, several players blossomed under his consistent backing and his brand of cricket. Given the Indian public's obsession with cricket, outside noise accompanies every single action taken by the team - but Kohli has managed to shield his key players from it all and ensure they perform on the field. Here are three players who owe their Test careers to Kohli.

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#3 KL Rahul

KL Rahul grew as a Test cricketer under the former captain.

KL Rahul began his Test career in disastrous fashion. Entering the Test team on the back of a mountain of domestic runs, Rahul lost all his composure on the big stage, in the 2014 Melbourne Test against Australia. Debuting at No. 6, he was a bundle of nerves and was dismissed cheaply to poor strokes in both innings.

In the Sydney Test - Kohli's first as full-time Test captain - Rahul was given another chance, and promoted to open the innings. Rahul responded promptly with 110 at the top of the order, showing the qualities which had made him successful for Karnataka.

Rahul went on to become one of India's most reliable openers, scoring runs around the world and showing solidity when the rest of the team crumbled around him. Although he spent some time outside the team due to poor form, Rahul came back strong and is once again a centrepiece of India's Test team.

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#2 Jasprit Bumrah

The rewards of Kohli's faith in Bumrah are visible to all.

Picked on the basis of white-ball form, with no recent red-ball performances to go by, Jasprit Bumrah travelled to South Africa in 2018 as a wildcard of sorts. Kohli showed immense faith in the young pacer, who had shown his worth for India in the shorter formats and for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the years.

Although Bumrah had a nervous start to his Test career in the first Test of the tour, he bounced back in fine fashion to claim his first five-wicket haul in the third game, winning the match for India. He went on to become indispensable for India in overseas Tests, with five-fors in England and Australia keeping India in the game and giving the team its first series win in Australia.

Kohli and the team management also protected Bumrah from breaking down by resting him for home Tests, ensuring the pacer was fit and firing for India's overseas assignments. Bumrah is not just the leader of India's bowling attack today, he is also being seen as a captaincy candidate at some point in the future.

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#1 Rishabh Pant

Kohli has often publicly defended Pant at the highest level.

India's tour to England in 2018 was meant to be Dinesh Karthik's second coming in the longest format. However, two Tests in, the Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper looked so out of sorts, that India chose to blood the young gun they had included in the touring party.

Handed his debut in the Nottingham Test, which India went on to win, Rishabh Pant iconically opened his account with a six, before reeling off a stunning maiden ton in a losing cause at The Oval in the final Test of the tour. Pant went on to become a match-winner for India with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 159 in the drawn Sydney Test.

Kohli has defended Pant from external criticism on several occasions. As recently as the Wanderers Test, Pant was lambasted for his lack of responsibility from the outside, but he retained the captain's trust. He rewarded the show of faith with a sensational unbeaten hundred to carry India on a difficult pitch at Cape Town. Pant has blossomed into a match-winner for India in the longest format, and has become extremely reliable as a wicket-keeper over time too.