"I Was Considered A Failed Captain": Virat Kohli Drops Bombshell 


image-lejud89zKohli failed to win any ICC trophies [Twitter]

Former India captain Virat Kohli has expressed surprise at the fact that he has been labelled as a ‘failed’ captain despite having led the Indian team to multiple knockout rounds in ICC events. 

After succeeding MS Dhoni as Test captain during the 2014-15 Australian tour, Kohli also took charge of the Indian team in the other two formats in 2017. 

Under his leadership, the team reached the final of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, the semi-final of the 2019 ICC World Cup, and the final of the 2021 ICC World Test Championship.

Under his leadership, team India remained No. 1 Test team for five years in a row. However, following the team's exit in the group stage of the T20 World Cup in 2021, he resigned from his position as T20I captain. 

Later, he was subsequently removed as ODI captain, and later relinquished his role as Test captain after a series loss to South Africa in 2022. 

During a conversation on the RCB podcast season 2, Virat Kohli shared his disappointment at being labeled as a "failed captain", despite leading his team to the semi-finals and finals of several ICC tournaments.

Here's what Kohli said:

“Look, you play to win tournaments. I captained in Champions Trophy 2017, 2019 World Cup. I captained in World Test Championship and T20 World Cup in 2021. After three (four) ICC tournaments, I was considered as a failed captain.”

"I never judged myself from that point of view; what we ended up achieving as a team and as a cultural change is always going to be a matter of pride for me. A tournament happens for a certain period of time but a culture happens over a long period of time and for that you need consistency for that you need more characters than just winning a tournament.” 

Although Virat Kohli was part of the Indian team that won the ICC World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013, he did not captain the side for either tournament. It was MS Dhoni who led the team to victory on both occasions.

I won a World Cup as a player. I won the Champions Trophy as a player. I have been part of the team that has won five Test maces. If you look at that point of view there have been people who have never won a World Cup."  

Kohli's return to form during the 2022 Asia Cup was nothing short of impressive, ending his 71st century drought and has been on a roll ever since. He emerged as the top run-scorer in the 2022 T20 World Cup, with 296 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 136.41.