History will remember Virat Kohli as the captain who revolutionized Indian cricket with his relentless pursuit of victory. He implemented changes that the BCCI and the top brass are now embracing, such as a focus on fitness, prioritizing the World Cup over the IPL, and managing workloads. Unfortunately, despite his efforts, the national side failed to win a single trophy under Kohli's captaincy, leading the BCCI to swiftly remove him from the role of ODI captain after he stepped down from the T20Is.
Virat Kohli had then revealed that he had been informed 90 minutes prior to the selection committee meeting that he was being removed as captain in ODIs, which sparked a huge uproar and a difference of opinions between the then BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and chief selector Chetan Sharma. Reflecting on the entire episode, Kohli said that he was considered a failed captain since he had not won a single ICC tournament, but he did not subscribe to this notion. According to Kohli, leadership is about creating a culture rather than being judged by a trophy, as it is a short-term accomplishment.
Virat Kohli, speaking on the RCB Podcast Season 2, said, "Look, you play to win tournaments. I captained in Champions Trophy 2017, 2019 World Cup, I captained in World Test Championship, and T20 World Cup in 2021. After three [four] ICC tournaments, I was considered as a failed captain.
“I never judged myself from that point of view; what we ended up achieving as a team and as a cultural change that always going to be a matter of pride for me. A tournament happens for a certain period of time but a culture happens over a long period of time and for that, you need consistency for that you need more characters than just winning a tournament,” he elaborated.
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Kohli, who has won two ICC tournaments as a player under MS Dhoni's leadership - the ICC World Cup trophy in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013 - considers himself fortunate to have earned two titles, as some players have never even achieved that.
“I won a World Cup as a player. I won the Champions Trophy as a player. I have been part of the team that has won five Test maces. If you look at that point of view there have been people, who have never won a World Cup,” the star batter said.
With all eyes on the ICC Cricket World Cup returning to India this year, Virat Kohli and current skipper Rohit Sharma are determined to make the most of this opportunity, as it could be their last 50-over World Cup. They are determined to give it their all and make their mark on the international stage.
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