India have done well in red-ball cricket under Virat Kohli’s captaincy; have no doubts, affirms Gautam Gambhir

After Ajinkya Rahane led India to a historic Test series win in Australia, the ball has dropped in his favour, with the critics pointing out how Rahane would be better-off to lead the side even with the presence of Virat Kohli. India, after losing the first Test in Adelaide, came back to win the Tests in both Melbourne and Brisbane to eke out the series 2-1. 

Further, the Mumbaikar has categorically denied all the rumours, stating that he is more than happy to be the vice-captain of the country. Stating on the same lines, former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has affirmed that India have done remarkably well in red-ball cricket under the Delhiite’s leadership. Yet at the same time, Gambhir still expressed that his question mark over Kohli’s captaincy remains in T20 cricket. 

"I have always had question marks over his T20 captaincy but I never had question marks on his 50-over or Test match captaincy. India has done very well under his leadership especially in red-ball cricket and I am sure India will continue to grow further under his leadership," Gambhir said on Star Sports' Game Plan, reported HT.

"India was never dependent on one or two people and Virat Kohli has said that time and time again. Yes, Virat Kohli is the leader and I am sure he is going to be as happy as the rest of the squad as well. He has done really well in Test cricket," Gambhir added.

Test cricket returning to India also marks the return of Virat Kohli, who returns to the Indian setup after missing out on the last three Tests on paternity leave. Gambhir also insisted that Kohli, with the World Test Championship final on the line, would bring out his ‘A’ game against England. 

"As any cricketer would say, it is not about hundreds. It is about the runs you can score to make your team win. For Virat Kohli it really does not matter that he has not batted in Australia, obviously, he would have loved to but the most important thing is that he is going to look forward to the England series and he knows how important the series is to qualify for the World Test Championship final," he signed off.