5 Test cricketers who improved majorly under Virat Kohli the captain ft. Rohit Sharma

Virat Kohli announced his Test retirement through a heartfelt note on Instagram on Monday, May 12. He had retired from T20Is last year after helping India defeat South Africa to lift the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Virat was at his best while representing the national side in whites and expressed himself like very few others. His passion for the game was clear every time he stepped out on the field, and his aggression took the game to the next level.

His never-say-die attitude, as a player and skipper, will be missed the most, and Test cricket will be incomplete without him running around the field after the fall of every opposition wicket.

One of the finest cricketers in world cricket has called time on his Test career, but Kohli’s remarkable achievements will be something to learn from for the up-and-coming cricketers.

Kohli led by example, professing his love for Test cricket time and again. As an all-format player, it is difficult for a cricketer to stay focused and prioritize Tests in the modern era, the toughest form of the game. But Virat did that, and led the team from the front, making India a force to be reckoned with in red-ball format.

During his Test captaincy, that started in December 2014 when he took over the reins from MS Dhoni, and ended in January 2022 when he handed over the duties to Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli played an instrumental role in shaping the careers of several Indian cricketers, who have gone on to become the greats of the game.

Here’s a look at a few:

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#5 Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj made his Test debut under Virat Kohli’s captaincy alongside a young Shubman Gill on December 26, 2020. Playing his first-ever international game in the red-ball format, Siraj was put to the test as India faced Australia Down Under, at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Having shared the dressing room at RCB during IPL, it was Kohli’s backing that got Siraj his Test cap. Siraj finished with 13 wickets in the series, the most for the team in their victorious 2-1 campaign.

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#4 Ravindra Jadeja

The Indian all-rounder’s line and lengths improved under Kohli’s captaincy as he became India’s mainstay in the format, keeping his spot in most of the games Kohli led. Growing into an attacking spin-bowling all-rounder, Jadeja improved immensely under Kohli.

One of Jadeja’s memorable outings under Kohli’s leadership came when India toured England in 2021 and played them at The Oval. At a pitch that hardly supported any bowlers, let alone spinners, Jadeja played a crucial role and picked up two key wickets while bowling 11 maiden overs.

Jadeja had a lot on his shoulders, with Ravichandran Ashwin benched for the game, and he rose to the occasion to prove why he was the best in business. Kohli kept faith in Jadeja across formats, which reaped massive rewards for the duo.

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#3 Ishant Sharma

One bowler who showed massive improvement during Kohli’s tenure as captain was Ishant Sharma. With age emerging as a factor that led to many questioning his place in the team, Ishant instead improved immensely while being led by Kohli in Tests.

India’s tour of England in 2018 reaped rewards for Kohli and Ishant, as the former’s captaincy skills and the latter’s bowling skills were on full display. The pacer’s stint playing county cricket helped him massively, following which he emerged as India’s leading wicket-taker in the five-match series.

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#2 Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah is a different beast in red-ball cricket, and it’s all because of Kohli, who kept picking the pacer in the lineup, made him a regular on the side, and gave him a world of opportunities to express himself with the ball.

Today, Bumrah is one of the finest bowlers in world cricket, and a part of the credit goes to Kohli, under whom Bumrah deservedly got his chances. Kohli and Ravi Shastri’s tactical decision to have Bumrah in the lineup against South Africa during the 2018 tour did wonders for not just the pacer but the team as well.

Bumrah shut all the critics with his performances and proved that even with an unusual bowling style, he can lead the bowling attack. The Indian Test team is incomplete without Bumrah, and it was Kohli who made everyone realize the importance of the pacer in the team.

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#1 Rohit Sharma

While most of Rohit Sharma’s success as a batter is credited to MS Dhoni, the Mumbai batter’s best in Test cricket was unleashed when Kohli made him open in the longest format of the game. Rohit had a newfound momentum after he took up the opening spot in Test as both he and the team reaped rewards.

Having dominated in that spot consistently in the shorter formats, Rohit also grew into a reliable Test opener, all thanks to Kohli. Now, with both legendary players having retired from the Test format, the youngsters on the side will have a huge void to fill in the top as well as the middle order.