Virat Kohli among the top Test captains India have had, taken team to a strong place: Dinesh Karthik
India Today
Dinesh Karthik said that Virat Kohli was a player who gave everything he had whenever he led India out in Test cricket as a captain and is one of the best the team has ever had in the format.
Veteran wicketkeeper batsman Dinesh Karthik said that Virat Kohli has been one of the greatest Test captains India have ever had and he hopes that the 33-year-old will look back at his tenure as the skipper of the team with pride. Kohli stepped down as India's Test captain this month after their 2-1 defeat in South Africa.
"I remember MS Dhoni saying very clearly that India as a cricketing nation is very hard to have split captaincy. It is unfair for me to answer this question because only Virat knows why he took that decision to step down as captain, and I am sure he has a good reason behind it," Karthik told ANI.
Karthik was part of the Indian Test team for their 2018 tour of England in which Kohli was captain. It was also the last time Karthik made an appearance in Test cricket.
"He has led India so well and taken the Test team to a very strong place. As a person who has been part of the team and has played under him, I know the amount of effort he puts in every time he goes out on the field.
"He gives it everything he has. It has been a great joy for me to have been part of that journey. He has been one of the top captains for India in Test. I hope when he turns back, he looks at all the pleasant memories and the good memories and he has a good time thinking about the success he has had as the captain," said Karthik.
Former captain Rahul Dravid has been head coach since Ravi Shastri's tenure ended after the 2021 T20 World Cup. Karthik said Dravid will accomodate players who would need rest amid the bio-bubbles and the hectic schedule.
"Rahul Dravid is the kind of person who will encourage players to speak how they are feeling mentally and physically. He will accommodate players' wishes in terms of giving rest, so I think India is in a very safe space right now," he said.
