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From Dominance to Departure: Kohli's Impact on Test Cricket
Virat Kohli's recent retirement from Test cricket marks a significant turning point in Indian cricket, and we delve into the implications of his abrupt departure from the format. In this episode, we analyze the context surrounding Kohli's departure alongside that of Rohit Sharma, both of whom have been stalwarts in the Indian Test lineup. We explore Kohli's illustrious career, the impact of his performances, and the evolving dynamics within the team as younger players are poised to step into his shoes. The discussion further extends to the future of Indian Test cricket, as we contemplate the challenges and opportunities ahead in the wake of Kohli and Rohit's retirement. Join us as we reflect on Kohli's legacy and the broader ramifications for Indian cricket.
Transcript
Hello and welcome to the Last Wicked.
Speaker A:My name is Benny.
Speaker A:Thank you for joining us to discuss a very eventful couple of weeks in Indian cricket.
Speaker A:I have my co host Mayank with me.
Speaker A:Hello Mayank, how are you?
Speaker B:Hey Benny.
Speaker B:I'm doing good, how are you?
Speaker A:I'm doing great.
Speaker A:You know, it's.
Speaker A:It's weird, I was just thinking about it over the weekend that it feels very unusual not to have cricket, Cricket around me, like cricket matches happening around me.
Speaker A:Because, you know, pretty much since the IPL started there was always something or the other and then, you know, we've gone for almost a week now without any cricket and it just feels very strange and unusual.
Speaker A:Of course it's a temporary pause.
Speaker A:It's funny, it feels like since the last time we recorded an episode, you know, there have been retirements, there's almost a war happening and there's just so much going on and cricket is affected so much.
Speaker A:So let's just get to it.
Speaker A:Let's briefly talk about the pause in the IPL and then we'll get to the big story.
Speaker A:I know that the IPL is resuming in a few days, but there are still a lot of question marks over which players, overseas players will be back.
Speaker A:Just broadly speaking, do you think this is going to majorly affect the prospects of the teams that are expected to qualify pre pause or do you think it's not going to make much of a difference?
Speaker A:Just like your kind of instinct, instinctual thoughts on this?
Speaker B:I do think there's going to be a difference.
Speaker B:I think Gujarat and RCB definitely had the momentum going and it's, it's not going to be easy to start again with the pause.
Speaker B:I feel like RCPs had this bad luck where even in the COVID year they were doing really well and then the pause happened and they just lost momentum.
Speaker B:So hopefully that doesn't happen to them.
Speaker B:But, but I do think the other aspect of it is how the overseas players react because initial reports haven't been super promising on how things were handled.
Speaker B:The Delhi Punjab game was abandoned midway and there was very limited information.
Speaker B:Alyssa Healey, who was there to watch that game, mentioned that they were a little bit frustrated with the lack of communication around it.
Speaker B:So with all of that I, I don't know if everybody's going to come back, you know, so I, I wouldn't expect every Australian, every English cricketer to be back in and playing again.
Speaker B:So we'll see.
Speaker B:I do think there's going to be a change.
Speaker B:But do we.
Speaker B:But I do still think that one of the top three, which is Mumbai RCB GT are going to win.
Speaker B:It will impact the momentum though.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean ultimately money talks.
Speaker A:I think a lot of these players, you know, it's not just about the current tournament, it's also about like how does it affect future prospects.
Speaker A:And so it'll be interesting to see who stick to their genuine worries or concerns and who, I mean, obviously we'll never know true motivations, but it already looks like quite a few players are saying they'll be back.
Speaker A:But of course there's also international commitment.
Speaker A:So it looks like there will be some players who will be missing out at least once the playoffs start.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But I agree with you.
Speaker A:I, I still think the three teams that you mentioned have a good chance, but I think Mumbai Indians just kind of have got almost like an extra two paces ahead just because I don't think they've got too many overseas players are going to be affected.
Speaker A:Like Tim David.
Speaker A:I know not Tim David.
Speaker A:Will Jax is may or may not be available, but Trent Bolt is, you know, he's going to be available for the remainder.
Speaker A:And I think the, one of the biggest benefits for the Mumbai Indians is the Indians and their team are pretty much their star players.
Speaker A:And so they all look in good nick.
Speaker A:And so I think Mumbai didn't, in my opinion are the favorites now to go on and lift yet another IPL trophy.
Speaker A:Not very happy about that, but hey, I'm a CSK fan.
Speaker A:I'll just keep my mouth shut and then we'll move on to the big story.
Speaker A:Rohit and Kohli retiring within what, a week of each other?
Speaker A:And I know there were like news reports pretty much.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I know there were news reports in the past few weeks about them being either dropped or retiring.
Speaker A:There was just so many unfounded news reports, which is pretty much to be expected.
Speaker A:But what is your initial take on the announcements?
Speaker B:Yeah, it's, it's somewhat expected.
Speaker B:I feel like when Arashwin retired in December, that definitely came as a surprise because it was mid tour and he had played a game already so it felt like he was, you know, still being considered and suddenly he pulled the plug.
Speaker B:So that definitely came a bit more of a surprise.
Speaker B:It's not that we were expecting Ashman to go on for another five years, but Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma both had lost a little bit of form over the last year or so.
Speaker B:One would argue coli for much longer.
Speaker B:And, and so there was definitely, people were definitely starting to question their side place on the side wondering what is the right time to put in new youngsters.
Speaker B:And I do think with India out of the World Test Championship final, you know, a change now is better than later.
Speaker B: at's where I remember back in: Speaker B:And that obviously was not a long home series, I should say a bunch of home series stitched together.
Speaker B:So that definitely was a good place for somebody like Bajara and Rohani to come in and, you know, be in more familiar conditions.
Speaker B:So having said all that, in India's case, it's a long England tour to go and then they go back home.
Speaker B:So long England tour for sure, with some new faces trying to make their mark.
Speaker B:But at the same time, I, I think it was about time.
Speaker B:I think what surprised me a little is both these players went back to their Ranji sides and played a game after that Australia tour.
Speaker B:So that made me feel that, yep, they're still trying to push for another year or two.
Speaker B:And so for the news to come now that they both decided to hang up their boots and after that discussion was a little bit of surprise.
Speaker B: xpected to hear about this in: Speaker A:Well, personally, if you indulge me, I think there's some backroom intrigue going on here just for the reasons that you mentioned.
Speaker A:The fact that Rohit and Kohli went back, even if it's, even if it was for such a short amount of time that they went back to domestic cricket and played a game or two, and the fact that Rohit was excited about the England tour probably like a few weeks ago.
Speaker A:Kohi had been talking about it a while ago as well.
Speaker A:And then suddenly Rohit retires and then Kohi a week later.
Speaker A:I just get the sense that there was were strong hints given to them that, hey, we're not looking to continue with you guys and we're ready to move on.
Speaker A:So unless you guys retire, we're just going to drop you again.
Speaker A:Assumptions on my part, but I feel like based on everything that's been happening in Indian cricket recently, like you said about Ashwin's retirement as well, I get this strong theme that the Indian team management and including the board, very different from like the previous era where you know, there were untouchables, like you couldn't tell the Sachins and the Dravids and the Lakshmis, like it's your, your time is done, you Know, you guys can leave.
Speaker A:And in general, I just feel like the Indian cricket mentality is like, well, the players, regardless of how out of form they are, they get to choose, right?
Speaker A:They get to choose when they step away.
Speaker A:I just get a sense that with Gautam Gambir in a strong personality himself and to some extent Ajita Garker, the chairman of selectors, now, these are strong personalities themselves who are not afraid to take bold and even controversial steps.
Speaker A:But I think they were gracious enough to say, hey, the ball's in your court.
Speaker A:If you guys step away now, we can just do this without any drama.
Speaker A:Now, I don't know how much credence to give to reports that said Kohli was probably aware of this like a week ago or something, where apparently at the CSK game he looked like he was sad.
Speaker A:Again, you know, people can make all sorts of inferences based on what they see on tv.
Speaker A:We may never know what.
Speaker A:What the truth is.
Speaker A:I'm surprised as well at the timing of the retirement because I feel like if this was to happen, this should have happened a while ago.
Speaker A:Because it's been such a long gap between the Test series and the fact that it happens now so close to when the Test squad is going to be selected makes me believe that there was some communication, you know, behind the scenes where they were informed that they were surplus to requirements.
Speaker A:And that's why I feel like it was so abrupt.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think if any of these, you know, assumptions that you made are true and they've been given a hint of, hey, we're ready to move on, whether that's as subtle as we're gonna drop, as harsh as we're gonna drop you versus, hey, we may.
Speaker B:We are considering just picking a young squad for England.
Speaker B:Whatever that hint is, whatever that information that's been passed on is definitely a step in the right direction.
Speaker B:I think this is something that Indian cricket struggled with for, honestly, until, you know, until Dhoni retired.
Speaker B:Like, even Dhoni pushed his retirement quite a bit in the limited over format.
Speaker B:So in my mind, like, it's a step in the right direction.
Speaker B:Obviously, you know, they.
Speaker B:These figures have been so instrumental in Indian cricket that we will definitely miss them.
Speaker B:And one, you know, I'm sure there are fans who will say, oh, think they should have gotten a farewell series and all of that, but I think it's a step in the right direction.
Speaker A:Well, it shouldn't.
Speaker A:Yeah, like I said, this shouldn't obscure the fact that this is actually good for Indian cricket at this point.
Speaker A:In time because yeah, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma stepping away from Test cricket, whether it was of their own free will or if they were given a nudge, I think it's good because of how their form had tapered off and how the age was not on their side and the fact that you have talent, unproven talent, but still you do have the players who can eventually step up and fill their shoes in the test format.
Speaker A:I think overall it's a good thing for Indian cricket and the fact is we are still not privy to all of the, the, the backstage.
Speaker A:I mean we're making a lot of assumptions and we have a lot of theories.
Speaker A:We don't know exactly what happened.
Speaker A:In a way that's good because we don't need to know all of that.
Speaker A:I feel as long as the right outcome was reached in the end and the fact is Rohit and Virat are still going to be playing international cricket.
Speaker A:They're going to be playing in their best format, I feel in one day internationals and it sounds like they'll be around till the next World cup, the 50 over World Cup.
Speaker A:So I think that's good for Indian cricket and I'm also excited for Indian Test cricket in that now you have players who can step up, who can come out of the shadows of Rohit and Kohli and establish their own place in, in the scheme of things when it comes to the long format.
Speaker A:I know we are, we are.
Speaker A:There have already been discussions about, okay, who's going to take over the opener spot or who's gonna, who's gonna bat at number four.
Speaker A:I feel like these are good discussions to have and I feel these are normal discussions to have and we haven't even talked about captaincy yet.
Speaker A:But all that to say I think India are in a good spot right now where they can build towards a strong test squad.
Speaker A:They haven't had a fully performing test squad for a while now.
Speaker A:Because I feel like the bowlers have been doing the heavy lifting for a while both with bat and ball.
Speaker A:And so I think this gives opportunity for younger or even older but relatively new players to come and make their case.
Speaker A:I don't think results are going to be like drastically different immediately.
Speaker A:I think India will just have to be used to losing a few games here and there, probably even a few series.
Speaker A:But eventually, if you can give players enough chance to establish themselves in the squad, I think that is going to be great.
Speaker A:So I'm actually, for the first time in quite a long time, I'm optimistic about Indian Test cricket and we can talk about the legacy of Rohit and Virat, the Test players, but overall I think it was the right decision and it's the right outcome and I'm looking forward, I'm actually excited about the Indian Test cricket or Test cricketers going forward.
Speaker A:So yeah, the England tour is going to be a litmus test because going to be very inexperienced.
Speaker A:I don't know, bum rush.
Speaker A:Fitness is always a point of concern.
Speaker A:So bat and ball is going to be interesting as far as how it's all going to shape up.
Speaker A:But I feel like now I can be more realistic and not be, you know, not have too high of a hope, you know, on India's performance.
Speaker A:Just I just want to watch and hopefully there will be some good cricket from both sides.
Speaker B:And you're used to keeping your hopes low after the ipl, aren't you?
Speaker A:Thanks, thanks, thanks for bringing that back.
Speaker B:But moving on, jokes apart, we'll jump into Virat Kohli's career and obviously Rohit is, you know, big name but we're going to try to keep that as a separate discussion.
Speaker B:Both of them have done incredibly well for an intricate.
Speaker B:So they do deserve a separate discussion.
Speaker B: in the one day format back in: Speaker B:Eventually he got a chance in the test squad and like most players he took a little bit of time settling in.
Speaker B:His first 29 tests averaged just a shade under 46 hundreds.
Speaker B:I, I think that phase he was probably still settling in, had some good performances but at the same time there were some struggles as well.
Speaker B:So when his, when his spot was on the line in Australia he came up with and scored a solid 100.
Speaker B: d a portor of England back in: Speaker B:But really the phase that we'll all remember him the most for is the next five years.
Speaker B: From: Speaker B:In 18 months he had six double hundreds which is quite staggering.
Speaker B:Just amazing performances in Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa.
Speaker B:In fact, Craig Info came out with an article saying he was the most prolific visiting batter in South Africa.
Speaker B: g by, by doing really well in: Speaker B:What was your sense of watching him during that era, Benny?
Speaker A:You know, there was the, a sense of assurance whenever Kohli's throwed out to bat at that time because right from his walk, right like walking to the crease, he would Psych himself up.
Speaker A:Just the walk, I'm just talking about the walk where he would psych himself up like, okay, I'm here to.
Speaker A:I'm here to play a good long knock.
Speaker A:And you could see it in his eyes, you could see it in his body language that he was fully tuned in.
Speaker A:He was, he was fully focused.
Speaker A:And the runs came, the runs came.
Speaker A:And they came about in a very assured and very dominant manner to the point where when Virat came to the crease, it was just this air of inevitability that he's going to score runs, he's going to score big runs, and he's going to do it in a manner that will always have people talking about the best and the most dominating batsman in Test cricket.
Speaker A:You know, always, there were always comparisons to Vivian Richards when Virat was batting.
Speaker A:And the stats, like you mentioned, it shows that he was backing that talk, you know, where people really had, you know, there were talks about how he was the next Sachin Tendulkar and I'm talking about Test cricket.
Speaker A:And there were genuine hopes that, that he would scale the heights that Tendril Kerr did.
Speaker A:And so, which is why it's all the more remarkable because I'm just looking at it.
Speaker A: Since: Speaker A:But it's mind boggling to me because there was a time when it seemed like he was scoring 100 every second game.
Speaker A:And that dip, not even a dip, it's a fall.
Speaker A:I feel it's still hard for me to accept and maybe we'll, we'll talk more about what could have led to that decline.
Speaker A:But, yeah, in that era, you know, I, I grew up watching Sachin Tendulkar.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Like, and you probably did too.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:But with Sachin, you always got the sense that, you know, he was playing well, but he would, if you, if he, he never carried the air of dominance.
Speaker A:This is my personal opinion.
Speaker A:Like, he strode out in a very almost sincere, genuine way.
Speaker A:And he would come, he would score runs and leave.
Speaker A:But when Kohli came out, it was like, it was more aggressive, you know, the way he carried himself, that nobody would want to pick a fight with them, or if they did, he would get extra fired up and the runs would come thick and fast.
Speaker A:So for me, it was great to watch Akoli in full flow.
Speaker A:And as an Indian fan in that era, because it coincided with some really great results for India, especially overseas.
Speaker A:And it coincided with the fast bowlers really coming to the forefront.
Speaker A:It coincided with India winning all these overseas victories under Kohli's.
Speaker A:Leadership.
Speaker A:So it was a golden era for Virat Kohli and the Indian Test side.
Speaker A:So I would say it was a great time to be an Indian Test fan.
Speaker A:And I would say, I would go as far to say it reignited my love for Test cricket in a way, because it was just fun.
Speaker A:It's always fun watching your favorite team win.
Speaker A:But the manner in which they did, the manner in which the Indian team was led, the manner in which both batting and bowling came together, and the cherry on top was Kohli's batting, leading from the front and scoring these runs with such dominance.
Speaker A:Yeah, I can't believe that was more than five years ago.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I think the, you know, you talked about inevitability of him scoring runs, you talked about his dominance.
Speaker B:What, what I really enjoyed at the same time was how classic he was.
Speaker B:You know, he would come out and play a cover drive on the third ball and it didn't matter what team you were supporting, you would be, you know, and that was his class.
Speaker B:That was his just, you know, the ability to turn it on.
Speaker B: ink that tour of Australia in: Speaker B:But that is when he started to really take it to the next level where the consistency was just outstanding and, yeah, honestly just looked a level apart.
Speaker B: at Indian lineup in the early: Speaker B:Dravid did try to match it and did very, very, very well.
Speaker B:But there was a period where you just knew that there was one best batter that the Indian cricket team had and that was what Kohli was for five good years, five solid years where, as you said, coincided with just amazing team performances and a lot of incredible overseas wins.
Speaker B:I do want to talk about that decline that you, you know, you mentioned about post Covid.
Speaker B:I think it's a mixture of things.
Speaker B:I definitely.
Speaker B:There's no doubt that his hand, Eye coordination, his eyes, you know, this is very, very normal.
Speaker B:Like a lot of people who watch cricket for longer than you and I have talked about how after 32, the peak of a batsman is.
Speaker B:Starts to go down.
Speaker B:You know, they, they start to lose their hand eye coordination and, and their abilities.
Speaker B:Obviously there's chances that they can get found out.
Speaker B:So that is definitely an aspect.
Speaker B:It plays a little bit into it.
Speaker B: s that Kohli had made back in: Speaker B:And I think that is a thing that became really mainstream in the post Covid era.
Speaker B:If you look at like the recently completed, well, not recent, but the December January tour of Australia, even there you had Alan Border and Mike Hussey doing commentary for the Sydney Test.
Speaker B:And they said they're used to a brown wicket where people can score runs and instead they saw this green, lively wicket and scoring runs was incredibly tough.
Speaker B:So I think every home team embraced that.
Speaker B:They said, we're gonna give the best chance for our bowlers to take 20 wickets.
Speaker B:Whether that was just a coincidence of, you know, really great bowling lineups, the WTC and, and the need to win, I, I don't know.
Speaker B:I don't think there's one answer to that.
Speaker B:I think it all came together and India did the same thing.
Speaker B:They created really turning wickets and that's why like even their best batter would average, you know, short of 50.
Speaker B:I'm not talking about Kohli in this era because I think post covert he was probably not India's best batter.
Speaker B:But even Rohit for that matter, who did very, very well on spinning tracks.
Speaker B:Who did well on spinning tracks, they don't average 50.
Speaker B:So I do think the pitches played a big role in it.
Speaker B: k if Kohli was batting in the: Speaker B:Pakistan had series, had had a case where Javid and SAAG had a 400 run opening partnership.
Speaker B:Sri Lanka often hosted games which were similarly high scoring.
Speaker B:So I think his numbers may show that he's ended up with an average of 46, but he's, he's done much better than that.
Speaker B:And I think the, the aspect that tells me that, you know, even his, even if his eyesight was not, you know, or hand eye coordination was not working as well, is the fact that he kept producing some really stunning innings.
Speaker B:There was a fourth innings, 62 against England where the ball was turning square.
Speaker B:There was a seeming conditions in, in South Africa, which I was lucky enough to watch live, where the Indian team completely struggled.
Speaker B:They were bundled out for 170 or 160 odd and he scored 75 of those.
Speaker B:So those told me that he still had it in him.
Speaker B:The Conditions had just changed substantially to the previous decade, which meant, you know, batters in general would average much lower.
Speaker A:But I also wonder, because this is another favorite theory on the Internets, that once he became a father, he mellowed and the runs were not as big as they were.
Speaker A:I do agree on one fact, that Kohi is a very driven player in, in that he needs things to psych him up, right?
Speaker A:Like he needs that motivation, he needs to feel like he needs to prove himself, he needs to dominate.
Speaker A: arly Kohli, you know that pre: Speaker A:He was a very passionate advocate for that.
Speaker A:And somewhere along the lines, while his hard work and you know, like his work ethic did not change, I don't know, I just never felt it the same fire.
Speaker A:I could not see the same fire in him.
Speaker A:Now again, this is all purely what you see on tv, right?
Speaker A:But I, I just wonder how much of that changed for him.
Speaker A:Where he didn't feel like he needed to prove himself anymore, but he was very happy and content with life where you could just go and just like try to enjoy the game.
Speaker A:And I wonder if that spark wasn't there as it was there before and if that contributed to it because beyond technique, beyond pitches, I wonder how much of your own personal drive contributes to world class performances that he was throwing up so constantly and then suddenly it just dipped.
Speaker A:What are your thoughts on that in terms of like maybe his priorities changed or he just didn't have the same fire that he used to have.
Speaker B:I don't know if I necessarily believe that because I feel like his record in one days probably didn't get impacted as badly.
Speaker B:So it's a case of, you know, conditions and one day is not being as challenging as they are.
Speaker B:And in Test cricket and in my mind, like that is a bigger reason, I will say that the number of times he, you know, really tried to take on the opposition, whether it was verbally and all of that, that didn't go down.
Speaker B: made these bonds that in the: Speaker B:There's absolutely no chance.
Speaker B:So, yeah, so I think, yeah, he did.
Speaker B:He did, you know, become more mature and calm as a cricketer, probably as a person too.
Speaker B:But I.
Speaker B:I think it was more to do with, you know, you're around for a long time.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:There's more footage they're finding out, finding your technical deficiencies are a little bit easier.
Speaker B:I think it's those sort of things that all came together rather than just personal drive, because I feel like we still saw him, even as recently as in Australia, take on a teenager and pick up a fight with a teenager and do all of that.
Speaker B:So it's not that that fire was not there anymore.
Speaker B:It was definitely that he had just matured and made friends on the international scene.
Speaker B:So it didn't necessarily require that or he didn't necessarily see the need to pick that fight.
Speaker A:Sometimes I wonder if.
Speaker A:If Virat Kohli's numbers during that golden period inflated his actual word as a test batter, and if now his actual numbers, now overall numbers are a more accurate representation of Virat the test batter.
Speaker A:Because I look at someone like Joe Root, Steve Smith, recently, Kane Williamson, for most of his career, they've not had the huge dips that, I mean, the huge dip that Kohli has had recently, they've had shorter ones and they've always found a way back.
Speaker A: that peak that he had between: Speaker A:He just could never replicate after that.
Speaker A:Do you think that is.
Speaker A:Do you think there's any validity to that statement?
Speaker B:I don't necessarily think so.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I think, you know, as the examples I was giving post to speak as well, some of those, you know, knocks showed that he had the ability to execute really tough skills in really, really challenging conditions.
Speaker B:And I think that's what he's known for.
Speaker B:Like you had own teammate Pujara was asked about, you know, the fact that.
Speaker B: i's best innings, and he said: Speaker B: And that: Speaker B:Probably not Scott Boland, but pretty much all the other stars of their bowling line were there.
Speaker B:And during that time, Kohli scored an attacking 123, which Pujara rated highly.
Speaker B:And that, to me, shows that it wasn't just a batch because, you know, he really had the fire to perform in tough conditions.
Speaker B:And that is.
Speaker B:That is why I do think that, you know, as he walks away, not just Indian fans, not just a few cricket writers, even somebody like Greg Chappell has written such a beautiful piece about him saying, you know, that he played too hard and he spoke too loudly, but he's become an icon of Indian cricket because he really believed in not playing the supporting role and winning no matter what.
Speaker B:So when somebody like Chappell, who's probably watched, you know, 50 years of cricket, says that about you, I don't think he would say that about Rohane or, you know, somebody with a small peak.
Speaker B:I truly think he is in that group of batters, probably.
Speaker B:You know, it's again, very tough to compare across teams and conditions and all of that, but I do think Steve Smith was probably the best batter of this generation.
Speaker B:He just always had answers, no matter the condition and to your point, always came back.
Speaker B:But that number two spot, in my mind is always very, very close call between root and goalie numbers.
Speaker B:Might say root, but.
Speaker B:But yeah, I think Kohli in general played on far tougher wickets than.
Speaker B:Than Rude did.
Speaker A:No, fair enough.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I think for me it's just laced with the frustration that Coley never got that opportunity for a second win in his career, like in his Test career, that, you know, after going through such a prolonged lean patch, that he never got the opportunity to have, like, that one last golden run before he stepped away.
Speaker A:But talking about legacy, and I think you mentioned what Greg Chappell said.
Speaker A:I completely agree in that Coley's legacy in Test cricket goes beyond just runs.
Speaker A:The way he shaped, especially as captain, the.
Speaker A:The change in attitude he brought to fitness, for instance, his emphasis on really improving and sharpening the pace attack that India has had.
Speaker A:And just overall the results, that's all really thanks to Kohli.
Speaker A:And obviously he's had good supporting players in all of that, both batters and bowlers and coaches for that matter.
Speaker A:But ultimately it comes down to Kohli and I think beyond his own performances, he leaves a strong legacy.
Speaker A:And I, I think the fact that even in the T20 era, that a lot of India still dissect the performances in Test, in Tests goes.
Speaker A:A lot of credit goes to Kohi for really hyping it up at a time where Test cricket could have almost been treated like a inconvenience that is competing with T20s and I think that that's where his legacy really stands out in Test cricket for me.
Speaker B:Yeah, I, I, I don't disagree.
Speaker B:I think one of the, one of my favorite Kohi anecdotes is actually from R ashwin.
Speaker B:Long time back he was asked on a crick bus show by Harsha Bole what type of a captain Virat Kohli is.
Speaker B: captain, full time captain in: Speaker B: nd understood Test cricket in: Speaker B:You know he was one of the captains who consistently picked five bowlers no matter if that meant the batting looked a little bit thin.
Speaker B:His whole push for fitness, you know, he was very clear.
Speaker B:He even when somebody like Bumra came in his first question was can you bowl 25 overs in a day?
Speaker B:Back to back days.
Speaker B:And so he was very, very particular about fitness.
Speaker B:He said you know, if you're not fit we, we need to move on.
Speaker B:And I think just another level.
Speaker B:So that fitness and that of course the support staff and Bharatara and all of that came together beautifully to make him you know, a bowler's captain.
Speaker B:And that there's a reason that, that's the reason why amongst pacers, amongst captains who have led in at least 50 Tests, his base attack had the second best strike rate better than Graham Smith who led the likes of Dale Stain and Vernon Philander and others better than Clive Lloyd who had, you know, the West Indian giants.
Speaker B:So that really shows that even though of course you know, the pitches were very bowler friendly and part of his era, like towards the end of his captaincy, it really shows the quality of his captaincy and his ability to lead and also just change the culture of Indian cricket.
Speaker B:And I think the other aspect that I always think about is, you know, obviously there's a whole fitness first scenario, his ability to be a bowler's captain, all of that is true but there was just this energy that he brought to the field.
Speaker B:I think if you take away the scorecard, you know, like think about the Sydney Test that India lost in Australia, the last test, the last day, India had barely any chance.
Speaker B:They were you know, defending 100 odd runs against the home home team with bum route.
Speaker B:But if you looked At Kohli, standing at second slip, how animated he was, you would have no idea that India was that behind in the game.
Speaker B:And that's the sort of belief that he carried.
Speaker B:Just felt that, you know, they could pull it off at any point.
Speaker B:So it's, it's quite amazing that it's in his era that we won so many amazing games.
Speaker B:You know, whether it was Gaba, whether It was Lords, 20, 21, bowling a team out, bowling the home team out in 60 overs or less, just incredible performances and truly the golden era of ending cricket.
Speaker A:Yeah, the energy and that infectiousness of that fighting spirit, I think I will miss that a lot.
Speaker A:And the good thing is you'll still see it in one day cricket, I think for the next few, next couple of years at least.
Speaker A:But yeah, test cricket, I would really miss that.
Speaker A:Of course, he crossed, I felt like he crossed the line quite a few times in his career, but it always came from this place of just, you know, willing to fight till the end and just believing that where while no one else would, that you could always win from any situation, which is again, very un Indian in a way.
Speaker A:So I'll miss that.
Speaker A:Which leads me to the question, what happens next for Indian Test cricket in terms of filling up the vacuum left behind by Kohli?
Speaker A:And I know we'll talk about Rohit later too, but initial, what are your initial impressions on who could step up to fill to take over Kohli spot in the batting order?
Speaker B:Yeah, before I answer that, one thought that came to me as I was thinking about this podcast was I don't know if we'll ever see an Indian batter reach 10,000 runs because if the likes of Kohli could not get to that number, and again, by no means is that number, you know, the category by which we say he's an all time great or not, I think Kohli is an all time great without a doubt.
Speaker B:But the fact that Even he, despite 123 Test matches, could not get to that number makes me almost think that I don't think the future, in the future there's any chance.
Speaker B:Like, obviously the likes of Gil and jswal are really young and have a lot of cricket in front of them.
Speaker B:But considering how franchise cricket is changing the face of the face of the world, world cricket and all of that, and number of Test matches that India plays stays mostly restricted to England and Australia, with a few sprinkled here and there with Sri Lanka and South Africa.
Speaker B:That almost tells me that, yeah, I don't think we're ever going to get a batter with 10k runs in the future, which is, which is kind of sad considering the legacy of Indian batting that we have had and then coming to the future.
Speaker B:I, I do think there is so much great talent in the Indian ecosystem that it's, they, they'll be, they have so many options.
Speaker B:Like think about Sarfraz Khan who was, who had done so well at home but didn't get a chance in Australia.
Speaker B:Then of course there's Drujl, there's Devdut Padikal.
Speaker B:All of these names have a fair shout.
Speaker B:And then of course we have somebody like Shreya Sayer who's done really well in, in India but hasn't done as well abroad.
Speaker B:But by no means is he, you know, capability wise, he's still up there.
Speaker B:So there's so many different names in the mix.
Speaker B:I do think it'll take a year or two for the Indian team to figure out their lineup.
Speaker B:When Tendulkar retired, Kohli was probably batting at 5 for the most part and then moved up to 4, took over his spot.
Speaker B:So maybe we'll see the same with Shubman Gill.
Speaker B:Maybe he'll move from three to four, you know, aim to be India's premier batsman.
Speaker B:We'll see how that works out.
Speaker B:But, but yeah, I think we'll definitely see some changes in the batting order as well as some of the names that start popping up.
Speaker B:I think the names may not be as surprising because many of them have been given chances already, but the batting order will likely change.
Speaker A:Yeah, I, I, like I mentioned at the start of the podcast, I'm very excited about the future of Indian Test cricket.
Speaker A:I mean, even if we have untested or unproven players, the fact that, the fact is they're probably going to get extended opportunities now which might just yield some good long term prospects.
Speaker A:But especially with England tour coming up, I'm sure it'll solidify more.
Speaker A:I'm curious to see if Gambir is going to push for experience in the form of bringing back Rohane or if he's going to go for like a youngster.
Speaker A:You know, I've seen some names bandied about like Sai Sederan or if he's going to go for sar.
Speaker A:I mean I'm including Rohit Spot as well.
Speaker A:When we're talking about names, I know there's been some talk of Karun Nair maybe making a return.
Speaker A:So there are a lot of names being bandit about.
Speaker A:Some curious to see how, you know, they're gonna, who they're gonna give chances to first.
Speaker A:And going back to your question about the 10k runs, I completely agree.
Speaker A:I think the for the landscape of international cricket has changed so much in the last few years and so we probably are not gonna get too many players who score either 10k runs or even like in terms of bowlers, I don't think you're gonna get too many.
Speaker A:Boulder sticking more than 500, 600 wickets in Test cricket just because of the amount of games that are being reduced in the Test format.
Speaker A:But if anyone were to do it getting close to 10k runs, I would actually vote for Jswell.
Speaker A:I think he's got a lot of potential to be the next big thing in Indian cricket along with Gil.
Speaker A:But really jswell I think is probably the best bet of getting anywhere close to that.
Speaker A:But overall exciting obviously we'll probably the next episode we'll talk about Rohit's retirement and how his legacy is as far as Test cricket is concerned and what that means for the future of Indian Test leadership as well as openers.
Speaker A:But we can talk all of that and more later.
Speaker A:But Mike, thank you so much for taking your taking some time out of your busy Europe trip to talk about Virat Kohli.
Speaker A:Let's get back on soon to talk about Rohit.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
