In what has come as a huge development, Virat Kohli was offered the Test captaincy when Rohit Sharma forced himself to sit out in the last Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test. Rohit had a horrible Test series, making just 31 runs at a horrendous average of 6.20 in 5 innings. With the series on the line, Rohit opted to drop himself. This left a captaincy spot open in the team and apparently India head coach Gautam Gambhir wanted Kohli to take up the role. However, Kohli denied the offer, forcing Gambhir to choose Jasprit Bumrah to lead India in Sydney.
Gambhir wanted Kohli as Test captain
According to CricBlogger, Gambhir wanted Virat Kohli to lead in Australia. However, Kohli has made a conscious decision not to wear the skipper hat again. Recently, he was offered the captaincy role twice. During his one-off Ranji Trophy appearance, he could’ve led the Delhi side but chose not to. Instead, Ayush Badoni continued to lead the national capital. Apart from this, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) opted to make Rajat Patidar as captain for IPL 2025. Kohli, who was touted for the role as well, reportedly denied the role as well.
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Gambhir vs Agarkar to decide next Test captain
According to reports, there are disagreements over the selection of the next Test captain as well. Rohit Sharma’s decision to drop himself during the all-important BGT series gave a sneakpeek into India’s Test future. There is no confirmation if Rohit will be playing the format since India’s next Test assignment will be in June with another high-octane Test series in England. As to grooming the next Test captain, there are differences of opinion within the management.
Apparently, Gambhir wants Jasprit Bumrah to become the permanent Test captain. He also has an opinion to groom Yashasvi Jasiwal as Bumrah’s deputy. Meanwhile, the selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, eyes Rishabh Pant as the next Test leader. Bumrah’s injury issues is a problem for Agarkar.
Virat Kohli record as Test Captain
| Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | W/L | %W | %L | %Draw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-2022 | 68 | 40 | 17 | 11 | 2.35 | 58.82 | 25.00 | 16.18 |
