'Captaincy was the best thing to happen' - Virat Kohli's thoughts on Test career revealed by Dinesh Karthik
"He said people think I'm a great Test cricketer. I enjoyed my Test batting, which I did, but the fact is that getting my captaincy was the best thing to happen in my life,” Karthik said.
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The cricketer-turned-commentator Dinesh Karthik has revealed that Virat Kohli once shared his true joy in cricket came not from personal records, but from leading the Indian team, especially while donning the national whites. Kohli, who retired from Test cricket in May 2025, stated captaining India in red-ball cricket was the defining chapter of his career, even though many regard him as a legendary batter of the format.
Karthik noted that current skipper Shubman Gill echoes a similar sentiment. He praised the 25-year-old for prioritizing the team's success over individual milestones, reflecting a mature and selfless leadership mindset.
“Athers [Michael Atherton], you spoke about Virat Kohli. I met him a few days ago, and this talk about captaincy came up. He said people think I'm a great Test cricketer. I enjoyed my Test batting, which I did, but the fact is that getting my captaincy was the best thing to happen in my life,” Karthik said during a conversation alongside fellow commentators on Sky Sports.
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Gill took over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma and has fully embraced a selfless leadership mindset. He not only led India to a commanding 336-run victory at Edgbaston to level the series, but also delivered with the bat in emphatic fashion. Gill has amassed 430 runs in the Edgbaston Test alone and a total of 585 runs across two matches at an outstanding average of 146.25, including two centuries and a double hundred.
“Why I am saying this is that the same line was used by Shubman Gill. He said, I used to bat differently. But now, after I’ve got captaincy, I almost, when I’m batting, think this is what my team requires – rather than me wanting to do something individually as a batter – which I thought, wow,” said Karthik.
Gill’s captaincy journey is unfolding seamlessly, and comparisons with Kohli have intensified following his extraordinary performance at Edgbaston. Gill became the first player to score both a double century and a 150 in the same Test. Karthik highlighted Gill’s maturity and his readiness to adapt his batting style to suit the team’s needs, the traits that closely mirror what Kohli demonstrated during his own captaincy tenure.
“Now, this is something the world of cricket has to take notice of, because here’s nan who has the appetite, who has the skill, who’s got the technique. But now he’s got the mindset as well that says, I’m a captain. I’m going to lead from the front, lead off the front foot. And we saw that in the last Test match. I’m sure there are going to be a lot more Test matches for us to observe him. But it looks like he’s on the right path,” Karthik concluded.
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