Kohli, who now plays only ODI cricket for India, remains the country’s most successful Test captain, having led the team to 40 victories in 68 matches after taking over the reins from MS Dhoni in 2014. He stepped down from the role in 2022, after being replaced by Rohit Sharma. Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis recently shared an interesting anecdote about Virat Kohli ‘s uncompromising approach as India’s Test captain. The two spent several seasons together at Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL.
Because the ball could hit you on the throat, and there was a lot of pace in the wicket,” said Faf, it felt extremely dangerous. Speaking on the Prakhar Gupta Podcast, Du Plessis recalled a Test match between India and South Africa at the Wanderers, where the pitch had become extremely challenging for batters. With deliveries frequently striking players, Kohli urged his teammates to remain composed and avoid showing any reaction, even if they were hit on the head. “I remember a Test match at Wanderers, and the pitch was dangerous, really dangerous. Dean (Elgar) got hit on the head by a length delivery.
I thought, ‘Someone could die out here today.
Because the game might get called off,” he added, the message to the Indian batters was clear: even if you got hit on the glove, hand, head, or throat, don’t show any reaction.
Your actions are far more powerful than your words,” he said. “India were slightly ahead in the game, so what would any captain in a stronger position do? He would say, ‘Let’s continue playing. The captain whose team was behind would say, ‘Let’s call off the game. “They were hit many times. However, there was a toughness instilled by the way he played the game. We always talk about leaders who lead from the front.
