‘Want India to be a superpower in Test cricket’ : Virat Kohli

[ShoonyaSifar]

Virat Kohli has laid out his vision for the Indian team, saying he wants them to be a superpower in the sport, and that the size of India’s fanbase could make Test cricket great again.

Earlier this month, Kohli became the first Indian captain to lead a side to a Test series victory in Australia. His sides impressed in preceding tours to South Africa and England as well.

Kohli isn’t satiated though. He won’t rest till India attain absolute domination on the field. “I wouldn't say goal but I would rather speak of a vision, which is for India to be a superpower in Test cricket or a very, very strong side in Test cricket in the years to come,” he told Star Sports.

“I think if Indian cricket respects Test cricket, and Indian players respect Test cricket, then Test cricket will stay at the top because of the fan base that we have all over the world.

“If we focus too much on shorter formats – yes, they're important – but if we solely focus and look at them as an escape or an excuse to not be in the kind of situations that Test cricket presents to you, then there'll start being a mental problem with the cricketers coming up.”

Kohli believed to reach that end, it was imperative for the team culture to be maintained and passed on to next generations. “As long as you're willing to wake up every morning for five days and do the hard yards and go do the dirty work – if you're willing to bat for two hours and not score a run for the team – that is what people should prepare (for),” he said.

“That will require the team to lay out certain things that needs to be done and for the next lot to keep following. So the next lot that comes in, they have to maintain that vision and then the people coming in will follow.

“I hope that continues and I will try my level best for as long as I can to keep that culture going.”

Kohli also lauded Ravi Shastri, the India Head Coach, and credited his own evolution as captain to the feedback he received the from 56-year-old. “Because he's done so much commentary, and he's seen the game so much and has played so much himself – just watching the game – he knows where the game is heading," Kohli said.

"So just getting feedback from him constantly has been the biggest help for me, in terms of moulding my own personality into captaincy. He's someone who has never tried to change me just to be able to fit into the captaincy mode.

“That was the most important thing and he's been the most amazing support for the team and someone who's backed the team through and through.

"I think he's struck the perfect balance for this team. And he's the one person who was there when we were No. 7 (in the rankings) in 2014. He was there and you know the transition started under him.

“And we started feeding off that mindset and started bringing that in, which I could eventually go out there and boost more [on the field]. But I think it was his vision for us to be fearless and play a certain kind of cricket, which I think he deserves a lot of credit for.”

 

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/975797

 

He's a great talker but great to see an Indian captain emphasize so much on Test cricket and longer formats. Contrast this with the earlier era when Dhoni would talk down Test cricket and even called away tests as a ways to improve as a player. 

 

Very interesting comments about Shastri, especially crediting him for the resurgence from number 7 ranking upwards.

[Cricketics]

He should just quit ODI captaincy after this world cup. Concentrate on Test captaincy and enjoy batting in ODI’s as a player.

 

South Africa is the only team which will linger around our total points for next 1 year. We need too send them packing big time when they come home and just dominate.

 

I see us being number 1 for a while now.

 

 

[sergio04]

bhaai odi captaincy ko dhoni ko de de.

only way india can win world cup.

[Ankit_sharma03]

Ok then quit ODI captaincy 

Hire - gambhir, agarkar , yuvraj as selectors post 2019WC not some week guys 

Use kumble in some capacity post WC...may be as team director 

Have a coach like tom moody 

Bring back challenger trophy and let top 30-40 cricketers of the country play against each other rather destroying lanka or WI at home 

[rkt.india]

7 minutes ago, Ankit_sharma03 said:

Ok then quit ODI captaincy 

Hire - gambhir, agarkar , yuvraj as selectors post 2019WC not some week guys 

Use kumble in some capacity post WC...may be as team director 

Have a coach like tom moody 

Bring back challenger trophy and let top 30-40 cricketers of the country play against each other rather destroying lanka or WI at home 

nah. People like Kumble dont work in administration.  Challenger trophy has gone nowhere, just names is c changed.  Now Deodhar trophy is played as a challenger trophy. Chalenger trophy is anyway  one day.  he is talking about tests here.

Edited January 16, 2019 by rkt.india

[Ankit_sharma03]

2 minutes ago, rkt.india said:

nah. People like Kumble dont work in administration.  Challenger trophy has gone nowhere, just names is c changed.  Now Deodhar trophy is played as a challenger trophy. Chalenger trophy is anyway  one day.  he is talking about tests here.

doesnt kumble work for KSCA in administraion and i dnt think anyone wud decline team directors job

Yes we do but The top players can play due to hectic schedule , my suggestion was avoid poor series like Lanka n all n play against each other. I dnt mind it happening in 4 day games also but thats looks very difficult . The competition wud be far more tougher and it wud also be a good platform. During the chappell-ganguly era to when team was looking for new players it was that challenger trophy that bought chawla n sreesanth in limelight when they got tendulkar out . Naam Challenger rakho ya deodhar the idea is to make compete best 30-40 players against each other on the best pitches of the country 

[rkt.india]

8 minutes ago, Ankit_sharma03 said:

doesnt kumble work for KSCA in administraion and i dnt think anyone wud decline team directors job

Yes we do but The top players can play due to hectic schedule , my suggestion was avoid poor series like Lanka n all n play against each other. I dnt mind it happening in 4 day games also but thats looks very difficult . The competition wud be far more tougher and it wud also be a good platform. During the chappell-ganguly era to when team was looking for new players it was that challenger trophy that bought chawla n sreesanth in limelight when they got tendulkar out . Naam Challenger rakho ya deodhar the idea is to make compete best 30-40 players against each other on the best pitches of the country 

No.

[ShoonyaSifar]

14 minutes ago, Ankit_sharma03 said:

doesnt kumble work for KSCA in administraion and i dnt think anyone wud decline team directors job

Yes we do but The top players can play due to hectic schedule , my suggestion was avoid poor series like Lanka n all n play against each other. I dnt mind it happening in 4 day games also but thats looks very difficult . The competition wud be far more tougher and it wud also be a good platform. During the chappell-ganguly era to when team was looking for new players it was that challenger trophy that bought chawla n sreesanth in limelight when they got tendulkar out . Naam Challenger rakho ya deodhar the idea is to make compete best 30-40 players against each other on the best pitches of the country 

He did for two years, fought with everyone and had to quit. Ealier, he'd quit as NCA Chairman as well as he had differences with others on how NCA should be run. He may have great ideas and is great with his observations but doesn't seem to really get along with other in team management/admin roles.

[DHONI_FANN]

5 hours ago, sergio04 said:

bhaai odi captaincy ko dhoni ko de de.

only way india can win world cup.

I second you

[GolGappe]

It's great to see Indian cricket cares so much about test cricket. Credit to coaches at grass-root levels too who keep hammering the importance of doing well in longer format of the games to young kids.

 

Quote

"As long as you're willing to wake up every morning for five days and do the hard yards and go do the dirty work - if you're willing to bat for two hours and not score a run for the team - I think that is what people should prepare (youngsters) (for)."

This will be music to Pujara's ears who was earlier singled out for now showing enough intent.

 

[Sgattick10]

Great attitude 

[GolGappe]

I hate frequent comparison between captains but this is such a good contrast from previous skipper.

 

I just couldn't believe it when BCCI granted his wish to skip India's tour of Sri Lanka. This is the Mendis series prior to India's recent domination over SL. SL went on to win it 2-1.

 

Dhoni-Duncan were so passive as India got pummeled overseas series after series. If Srini Mama wasn't in charge, Dhoni's era as a test skipper wouldn't have lasted half as long.

Edited January 16, 2019 by GolGappe

[raki05]

11 hours ago, ShoonyaSifar said:

 

 

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/975797

 

He's a great talker but great to see an Indian captain emphasize so much on Test cricket and longer formats. Contrast this with the earlier era when Dhoni would talk down Test cricket and even called away tests as a ways to improve as a player. 

 

Very interesting comments about Shastri, especially crediting him for the resurgence from number 7 ranking upwards.

blah blah blah and end up playing dhoni ,rayadu in odi. Just one series victory against pathetic aus team in their history and big  talk started , wait some commentwoul come  from bewara as well. Bloddy this would have been better if you would have won in sa or eng.

Edited January 16, 2019 by beetle

[Vijy]

2 hours ago, GolGappe said:

It's great to see Indian cricket cares so much about test cricket. Credit to coaches at grass-root levels too who keep hammering the importance of doing well in longer format of the games to young kids.

 

This will be music to Pujara's ears who was earlier singled out for now showing enough intent.

 

kohli seems to have rather belatedly awoken to the importance of pujara-like players, and the fact that "intent" does not mean slashing and hacking at balls.

[rtmohanlal]

good intentions. But you need to change a lot more for that .Firstly make sure to kick out that  absolutely undeserving parasite leech feminist pig andiulji  from not interfering into your matters.Thus make sure that your plans do not get interrupted in the midway for some petty cheap dirty wicked intentions of some  absolutely  undeserving leeches who do not have any business into coming across your plans.

 

Secondly make team selections  lot lot more sensibly.For that a good coach is a must. Highly doubt that parasite Sastri is adequate enough for that. Good coaches   always would be constructive and competent in the form of watching out for talented youngsters in the domestic, would always be analysing the plus and minus of these youngsters, would always know w.r.t  when  & where as to a talented  youngster   can be given chances , how this talented youngster can be effectively groomed for the long term benefit of the team,which players  can be put in the eleven for the coming match based on the pitch  conditions, strengths  of the opponents etc etc.

[rtmohanlal]

21 minutes ago, Kannadiga said:

Not sure if he is fit to lead in any format, going by his team selections. He talks big that he wants India to dominate in World Cricket and yet go on to choose mediocre players to play for his team. How do you achieve such goal when your basic is so wrong? Does he think he has got a life time and his form will be permanent? 

just because he won a series against a depleted AUS side , he is boasting of such high ambitions. He comfortably forgot about the just preceded  2 high profile away series which had high influence  of his idiotic captaincy blunders..

[rkt.india]

14 hours ago, raki05 said:

blah blah blah and end up playing dhoni ,rayadu in odi. Just one series victory against pathetic aus team in their history and big  talk started , wait some commentwoul come  from bewara as well. Bloddy this would have been better if you would have won in sa or eng.

he is talking about tests, not ODIs.

[raki05]

5 minutes ago, rkt.india said:

he is talking about tests, not ODIs.

Yes I meant test as well....great that he won here but does anyone have any doubt  that our fab 4 team wouldn't have won it against this mediocre AUs team. Having said that he and Shastri have habbit of speaking nonsense in press conference even when we loose. Had he won atleast one in SA or eng his talk would have made more sense.Suoerpower my foot, if they would keep doing selection blunders like SENA tours we ll always be mediocre.

Edited January 17, 2019 by raki05

[WC2011INDIA]

What about ODI/T20?!

 

Test cricket m kya rakha hai? Other than padding stats there is nothing here. ODI/T20 world cups matter the most and that is where we need to be superpower in. Ugh. Priorities are all wrong. 

 

 

[rtmohanlal]

21 minutes ago, Kannadiga said:

Not to mention the hiding he got from Pakistan, out of all teams, in the CT finals. Australian Test series win should be appreciated, but there are still some fundamental problems under his leadership, which the other teams are sure going to take advantage of. 

if he had the  'captaincy' ability  to put his plains into practice  Mayank Agarwal would have been  playing right from the 3rd test in SAF itself.Instead he played Parthiv for that opener spot.Had Mayank played in that 3rd test, India would have benefitted lot better in the next ENG tour .