Under Virat’s captaincy, India reached the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017 but lost the final to arch-rivals Pakistan by 180 runs. In the 2019 World Cup, India lost in the semis (vs New Zealand). The 2021 World Test Championship saw India lose the summit clash to New Zealand by 8 wickets.
Virat on Saturday said that even after reaching the semifinal and finals of the ICC tournaments, he has been tipped as a “failed captain.” The Indian run machine relinquished the captaincy from all formats last year.
“Look, you play to win tournaments. I captained in Champions Trophy in 2017 (reached the final), the 2019 World Cup (reached the semifinal), I captained in World Test Championship (reached the final), and T20 World Cup in 2021 (failed to qualify for the knockouts). After three (four) ICC tournaments, I was considered as a failed captain,” said Kohli on an RCB Podcast.
Kohli, who guided the India Under-19 team to World Cup glory in 2008, said bringing a cultural change in the Indian cricket team will always be a matter of pride for him.
“I never judged myself from that point of view; what we ended up achieving as a team and as a cultural change that always going to be a matter of pride for me. A tournament happens for a certain period of time but a culture happens over a long period of time and for that, you need consistency for that you need more characters than just winning a tournament,” he said.
“I won a World Cup as a player. I won the Champions Trophy as a player. I have been part of the team that has won five Test maces. If you look at that point of view there have been people, who have never won a World Cup,” he added.
Virat also recalled the 2011 ODI World Cup glory when MS Dhoni led India to a title win in front of a jam-packed Wankhede crowd.
“To be honest, I was lucky enough to be part of that 2011 team. And what led to my selection was also amazing because I had a great run of great scores, and I ended up being with the team. Sachin Tendulkar was playing in his sixth World Cup, and that was the one he won. I was able to be a part of the team for the first time, and I ended up being part of the winning side,” he said.
“I am looking back at things that I am grateful for not what has gone wrong in my career. I am not mad for my trophy cabinet to be full,” Virat, who has played 106 Tests, 271 ODIs, and 115 T20Is for India in a career spanning 15 years scoring over 25000 international runs, said.
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