Ex-India Star Says Virat Kohlis Test Captaincy Ended Too Soon
Virat Kohli is being missed by Indian fans and former players in the Test format. He retired from his favourite format in May 2025, ending an era of the Indian team in this format. Madan Lal, former Indian cricketer, talked about Kohli's legacy as a captain, saying he had years left as a skipper.
Virat Kohli is still being regarded as India's best captain in the Test format. Under his captaincy, India was able to achieve various feats which previously seemed impossible. Like winning a Test series at the Australian soil, dominating England at their own home-ground, the famous Lord's win, and much more.
But his era as a Test captain came to an end with the series against South Africa in 2022. Rohit Sharma took over as India's Test captain, and now both of them are not a part of the Test format. But recently, a former Indian player, Madan Lal, talked about Kohli stepping down much earlier.
He said, “I do feel a little disappointed about Virat, as there was still a lot of Test cricket left in him. Virat gave Indian cricket a new direction. He brought aggression and showed the team how to win. But I don't know what happened with Virat. I don't know who the selector was at the time, but I think they made a mistake. He should have been allowed to continue as captain. That's my personal opinion. I believe there was some communication gap between them because, in my view, Virat could have continued as captain for another two or three years.”
Our Take
Virat Kohli's legacy as a captain will forever live on in the Indian cricket team. He dominated this format like no other skipper, bringing down the aggressive mindset among all the players. Even though he is gone from this format, new captains take inspiration from him.