Virat Kohli ended his captaincy tenure in Test cricket with 40 wins and in ODI cricket with 65 wins. Records say that he is undoubtedly India’s most successful captain across formats. Kohli has continued playing as a player and scored two fifties in the recent ODI series against South Africa. Meanwhile, former Australian spin legend, Shane Warne has praised the former Indian skipper for taking Test cricket to newer heights during his captaincy.
“First of all I have got nothing but the utmost respect for Virat Kohli. I think he is a terrific cricketer and great ambassador for the game. I think we should all thank Virat Kohli and the BCCI for pushing Test cricket and because its the no 1 format,” Warne told PTI during an exclusive interaction while promoting his documentary ‘Shane’ which has been aired on ‘Book My Show’ streaming platform earlier this month.
He further said that the BCCI and Virat Kohli have worked hard in keeping the sanctity of Test cricket alive in the modern age of franchise T20 cricket. “If you want to test yourself in cricket, then its Test cricket. Test is hardest form of our sport. If India and Virat Kohli wouldn’t have put the emphasis on Test cricket, a lot of other countries might have just fell away, but through Virat, he really pushed Test cricket,” the spin legend further said.
Warne also pointed out Kohli was an inspirational leader and his passion for the game played a big role behind keeping the essence of Test cricket alive. He stepped down from Test captaincy after India lost the Test series against South Africa. “Virat was a very good leader and he inspired his teammates. I think on the tactical side he could have improved on but as far as being a leader is concerned, I think he inspired his teammates all the time,” said Warne.
He concluded by keeping a word on the response he has been getting for his documentary. “I am very proud of it and I have been blown away by the feedback. People have loved it, got inspired by it, so for me to do it as I have been in the public eye for over 30 years. So to touch some of the stuff that happened 30 years ago and look back, it has been pretty interesting,” Warne concluded saying.
