In a heart-to-heart conversation, Indian cricket stalwarts Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir gave fans the memory of a lifetime. Often making news because of the ‘masala’ in their relationship, Kohli opened his heart in front of Gambhir, the man who recently took up the role of Team India’s head coach. As the two discussed their careers, personalities and vision through this journey of Indian cricket, some brilliant tales were narrated.
While discussing the famous Australia series of 2014-15, Virat opened up the on the challenge he found ahead of him as MS Dhoni announced his decision to quit Test captaincy, leaving the responsibility of a young team on Kohli’s shoulders.
“The thing that excited me about Test cricket and when I was coming up as captain was the challenge. We were transitioning when you guys had made way for a youngster team and Mahi bhai left Test captaincy. I was 25, so for me it was like ‘I am here with a bunch of 24-25 year-old guys. How do we become household names?’ We sat down and thought ‘I really need to plan this out. This can’t happen by chance’,” Kohli said during the chat with head coach Gambhir in an interview arranged by the BCCI.
Rather than being bogged down by the weight of the responsibility, Kohli decided to rise to the occasion. The rest, as they say, is history.
“When I started thinking from the point of view where Indian cricket has to be in 7 years’ time, the solutions came. We need a group of fast bowlers. We need batters who can bat long. We need to give ownership to five batters and a keeper to get us 350-400. We can’t have a seventh option. I remember the challenge excited me. I didn’t feel like ‘Oh my god! I don’t want any part in this’. And that’s when I was like I am all in.”
Kohli also found comfort in Gambhir’s words as the India head coach lauded him for leading the troops valiantly despite being a young 25-year-old batter himself.
“I can understand what you might have gone through. A 24-25 year-old boy taking up Test captaincy and then what you did brilliantly was that you had a really strong bowling unit. Test matches are won by taking 20 wickets. Till the time you don’t have a strong bowling line-up, you won’t [win]. And that is what made you the most successful Test captain in the country,” said Gambhir.
“Credit has to go to you because as a batter it is very easy to have a strong 6-7 batters putting runs on the board but the way you identified and more importantly, the attitude which you brought on the field from fast bowlers. Imagine having people like Shami, Bumrah, Ishant, Umesh and then winning overseas. I remember you playing that knock in Adelaide. We were chasing 400; it was your first game as captain, and you still wanted to win that Test match. That is the mindset, that is the culture we want to bring in,” he further asserted.
