"He has really taken the game forward" - Mayank Agarwal on Virat Kohli

India opener Mayank Agarwal has lavished praise on ODI and Test skipper Virat Kohli for the manner in which he has taken the game forward. The statement comes on the back of Kohli relinquishing his T20I captaincy.

In an interview with WION, Agarwal described Kohli's passion and aggression as tremendous. The Karnataka batter also said Kohli prioritizing Test cricket was great for the game.

Agarwal said:

"Everyone knows for a fact that the way Virat has played the game has been tremendous. The passion and the aggression that he plays with and the willingness to fight and win is something which is exceptional from him. He's really taken the game forward and has prioritized Test cricket which is really great for the game."

Agarwal is looking forward to working with new head coach Rahul Dravid.

"With Rahul sir coming in, he has been there and worked with the U-19s; all of us have worked with him at India A as well, so we are really looking forward to work with him when we get the chance in the Indian team," Agarwal said.

The opener is part of the Test squad for the home series against New Zealand starting later this month.

"They have always been very supportive of each player working out their way of finding success" - Mayank Agarwal on the outgoing coaching staff

Agarwal went on to state that the outgoing coaching staff led by Ravi Shastri allowed the players to use their own methods of finding success. Asked about India's overseas successes in Tests, the opener said assessing the conditions was something they put their minds to.

Ravi Shastri's tenure as Team India head coach ended with the T20 World Cup 2021

"The biggest thing that we stressed about as the Indian team and something that all of us had put our minds to has been that it's about assessing the conditions, knowing what needs to be done and going out there and executing. Each player does it a little differently and they (coaching staff) have always been very supportive of each player working out their way of finding success. So that's something they had given freedom to the players to go out in doing that," Agarwal said.

India to host New Zealand for three T20Is and two Tests

India will host New Zealand for three T20 Internationals and two Tests starting later this month. While the T20I series begins on November 17 in Jaipur, the two-Test series, which is part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, is scheduled to begin on November 25 in Kanpur.

Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian team in the T20I series with KL Rahul as his deputy.

Ajinkya Rahane will stand-in for rested skipper Virat Kohli in the first Test against the Kiwis

Ajinkya Rahane will skipper India in the first Test, with regular skipper Virat Kohli set to return for the second Test following a break.