Kohli reflects on India’s ‘golden era’ in Tests under his captaincy

Virat Kohli reflected on India’s successful run in Test cricket under his captaincy, saying the team’s rise in the longest format was shaped by a young group of players who shared responsibility and wanted to build something lasting.

Kohli, who retired from Test cricket last year, spoke about his time as India captain in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru podcast posted on franchise’s official handles.

The 37-year-old ended his Test career as India’s fourth-highest run-getter, with 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries.

He also finished as India’s most successful Test captain, with 40 wins in 68 matches, after first taking over during the 2014 tour of Australia in the absence of an injured M.S. Dhoni.

“I, in fact, looked at the times that I have been able to play Test cricket for so long and the opportunity to lead India for so long to some amazing victories and a golden era in our Test journeys,” Kohli said.

Kohli said the core of that side was close in age, which helped reduce the senior-junior divide in the dressing room. Players such as Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja formed the backbone of the team during that period.

“The most important thing was that if you look at our average age, there was no hesitation between seniors and juniors,” Kohli said.

“Everyone had played under the senior players a little bit before, and so many of the younger guys that came in after, we were like a group of friends.”

Kohli said that environment made players feel invested in the direction of the team rather than leaving the responsibility only to the captain or the management.

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“So what happened was, okay, I was leading, and the management was taking the team forward in a certain way, but the most important thing was because of the average age of the group, everyone felt like they had responsibilities and ownership,” he said.

“It was not like, these guys will look after the team and we do not have anything to do with it. It felt like, okay, we are young, we want to create this team for the next six, seven, eight years. What can I do to make the team better? So people started asking questions of themselves.”

Kohli’s captaincy tenure was marked by India’s historic Test series win in Australia in 2018-19 and improved competitiveness in overseas conditions. His focus on fitness, intensity and fast bowling helped reshape India’s red-ball identity, while the spin pair of Ashwin and Jadeja remained central to the side’s dominance at home.

Kohli stepped down as Test captain in 2022 after the South Africa tour. Rohit Sharma later took over before Shubman Gill assumed charge following Kohli and Rohit’s retirement from the format.

Published on May 15, 2026