'He was angry when he went to South Africa': Legendary India all-rounder gives verdict on Kohli quitting Test captaincy

He had a challenging task to fill in the shoes of MS Dhoni but Virat Kohli passed the test with flying colours. The mercurial cricketer emerged as the most successful Test captain India has ever produced, leading the country in 68 games and securing 40 wins at a win percentage of 58.82.

Kohli had first led the side in Test cricket back in 2014 against Australia. His last game as captain was the Cape Town Test in South Africa, which was also his 99th match in the longest format. The leadership also brought out the best in Kohli and it saw him registering seven double-centuries in Test cricket. He also holds the record for scoring most Test centuries (20) as India captain.

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Despite a splendid win-loss percentage and imposing batting numbers, Kohli's captaincy sojourn saw a bittersweet end. He had stepped down from T20I captaincy following the 2021 T20 World Cup last November and was removed from the ODI captaincy a month later with BCCI naming Rohit Sharma as the new white-ball leader. In the end, the cricket fraternity witnessed the sudden exit from Kohli from Test leadership and former India all-rounder Madan Lal feels the BCCI row could have been one of the reasons behind the development.

Kohli's removal as captain of India's ODI team in December had drawn mixed reactions. But the episode escalated when BCCI president Sourav Ganguly told media that he and the BCCI requested Kohli to continue as India's T20I captain. On the contrary, Kohli dismissed Ganguly's statement, saying that his call to step down as captain of the T20I team was well received and he wasn't asked to reconsider the decision.

"He was angry when he went to South Africa. When he left the captaincy of the T20I team, he still wanted to be the captain of the ODI side. He expressed his displeasure when the board did not make him the captain of the ODI team for the South Africa tour. Maybe, this can be one of the reasons behind his exit from Test captaincy," Madal Lal told Navbharat Times Online.

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The World Cup-winning player also heaped praise on Kohli for setting benchmarks in international cricket and giving rise to the famed bowling unit in the Test format. He further said that Kohli's efforts in building his team will pay sizable dividends in the long run.

"The benchmark he has set is amazing. He not only encouraged the spinners but also encouraged the fast bowling unit. We already had world-class spinners and we now have the best fast bowlers in the world. This happens only when your captain backs you.

"Had he been the captain for a year or two more, there is no doubt that the team would have benefited. The benefits of the team Kohli has prepared will also be visible in the long run. It is his own decision to step down from the captaincy and everyone should respect this. He gave his 100 per cent as captain," he added.