Virat Kohli's leadership of the Indian cricket team has been nothing short of transformative. Since taking over the captaincy across all formats in 2013, he has ushered in a new era of aggressive and result-oriented cricket.
One of Kohli's standout qualities as a leader is his unrelenting passion and commitment. He leads by example, both with the bat and on the field. His work ethic, fitness regimen, and determination have set new standards for the entire team.
Off the field, Kohli is an articulate and passionate advocate for his team. He represents his players' interests staunchly and demands the best facilities, preparation, and support for them. Cricket betting sites have a wide range of betting markets on their platforms.
In his captaincy career with Team India, Virat has created players who have proved themselves worthy of Team India. Here is a list of 5 such players who were the creation of Virat Kohli.
1) Shardul Thakur
Shardul Thakur's debut under the captaincy of Virat Kohli marked a significant moment in Indian cricket, reflecting the emergence of a promising talent and showcasing the captain's role in nurturing new players.
Virat Kohli's captaincy played a crucial role in Shardul Thakur's debut. Kohli's ability to inspire and instill confidence in his players was evident as Thakur rose to the occasion. The captain's guidance and support helped Thakur overcome nerves and perform at his best.
Now if we look at Shardul’s performance, he has been part of 73 international fixtures and has picked up 121 wickets across all the formats.
2) Mohammed Siraj
One of the closest aids of Virat Kohli in the bowling unit was Mohammed Siraj. Since his debut in 2017 during the tour of New Zealand, Siraj has always stunned the opposition with his pace and swing ability.
It was Virat Kohli who nurtured the talent of the pacer by giving him more chances across every format of the game and putting him in high-pressured situations like Border-Gavasker Tophy.
Overall, Sirak has been part of 53 international fixtures across all formats and has picked up 113 wickets.
3) Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wrist-spinner, made his Test debut for India in March 2017 during a match against Australia in Dharamshala. His inclusion in the playing XI under Virat Kohli's leadership was a testament to the captain's willingness to back young and unconventional talents.
However, what made the difference for Kuldeep was his comeback to the team in 2022 and playing the best game of his lifetime. As of now, Kuldeep is expected to play for Team India in the upcoming World Cup and he will be a key player for the team.
Overall, Kuldeep has been part of 124 fixtures and has picked up 227 wickets.
4) Yuzvendra Chahal
In recent times, Yuzvendra Chahal has been sidelined by the new skipper Rohit Sharma for the past year. However, during the leadership of Kohli, Yuzvendra Chahal was one of the primary players and got full support from the previous skipper.
Chahal’s confidence and his ferocious bowling were the result of Kohli’s assurance to the player to be part of the team no matter what.
After getting dropped from the team for Asia Cup 2023, there is a hypothesis that Chahal won’t be part of the ODI World Cup as well.
5) Rishabh Pant
After the retirement of MS Dhoni from the team in Test cricket, there was a huge void in the team and the selectors were looking for the next best wicketkeeper-batsman.
It was Virat Kohli who came in front and chose Rishabh Pant to do the job and his decision to pick Pant turned out to be the best one.
Rishabh has left a huge impact on Indian cricket and it is because of the same reason, that even after being injured and missing out on the action for 8 months, Pant is expected to make a comeback to the team very soon.