• Source:JND
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Virat Kohli's sudden decision to step down as India's Test captain sent shockwaves through the cricket community and sparked controversy within the board.

Kohli's tenure ended with a record 40 Test wins, surpassing MS Dhoni's 27 victories. During his leadership, Kohli excelled as a batsman, scoring 5,864 runs at an impressive average of 54.80.

In 2022, Kohli stepped down as India's Test captain after a disappointing series in South Africa, paving the way for Rohit Sharma to take over.

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However, Sanjay Bangar, former batting coach of the Indian team, thinks that Kohli's decision to relinquish the captaincy was hasty and that he should have continued to lead the Test team for a bit longer.

“I personally feel that he should have continued for longer as a Test captain because he probably captained India in 65 Test matches, and one of the things I feel is that he could have probably continued as a Test captain for a longer period,” Bangar said on the Rao podcast.

Bangar, who has had the opportunity to work alongside Virat Kohli in both the Indian national team and the IPL, revealed that Kohli was deeply committed to achieving success with the team in foreign conditions, highlighting his dedication to improving India's overseas performance.

“Virat was driven with the fact that India had to improve their performances overseas. Because in India we knew that whether anybody is there or not, with all due respect to the opposition, if you come to India, India is winning 75 per cent of the time. You’ll really have to play poorly to lose in India,” he added.

The 35-year-old star batter maestro has catalysed a fitness transformation in the Indian cricket team, inspiring his teammates to adopt a more rigorous approach to physical conditioning. As captain, Kohli spearheaded a cultural shift, setting a high standard for himself and encouraging others to follow suit.

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According to Bangar, Kohli's self-driven approach and relentless pursuit of excellence pushed him to continually improve and maximize his potential.

“He himself achieved enormous levels of fitness and challenged his physical limits to the hilt. He worked the hardest. I think he scored the maximum runs during that period as a captain and he had that drive,” Bangar said.