I was considered as failed captain for not winning an ICC trophy: Virat Kohli

India’s former skipper Virat Kohli feels he is considered as failed captain for not winning an ICC trophy. Under Kohli’s leadership, India reached the Champions Trophy 2017 final, the semifinal of the 2019 World Cup, and the final of the 2021 World Test Championship but the team could not go all the way in these tournaments.

Meanwhile, it is a norm in India that a captain is judged by the number of big trophies he wins under his leadership, which is a bit harsh. Kohli led India in an aggressive manner and he was able to get the results in Test matches while playing in overseas conditions.

In fact, India registered their first Test series win in Australia under Kohli’s captaincy when they won by 2-1 in the 2018-19 tour.

Virat Kohli said while talking to RCB Podcast Season 2, “Look you play to win tournaments. A lot was made of it (not lifting an ICC trophy as skipper). I captained in the 2017 Champions Trophy, I captained the 2019 World Cup side, I captained India in the (inaugural) World Test Championship final.

“So, after three ICC tournaments… we lost the last (2021) T20 World Cup. We didn’t qualify. We reached the finals of 2017 Champions Trophy, semi-finals of the (2019) World Cup, final of (World) Test Championship, and I was considered as a failed captain.” Kohli added.

Kohli added he is proud of the cultural changes he made to the team while leading with aplomb. The former skipper deserves a lot of credit for setting up the new benchmarks for fitness and he was able to lead from the front.

“I never judged myself from that point of view (defeats in ICC tournaments). What we ended up achieving as a team and as a cultural change for me, that’s always going to be a matter of pride because 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,” Kohli said on Royal Challengers Bangalore’s podcast.

“For that (bringing about cultural change), you need more character than just winning a tournament. So, I won the (2011) World Cup as a player, I won the (2013) Champions Trophy as a player, I’ve been part of a team that has won five Test maces.

“If you look at it from that point of view, there have been people who have never won a World Cup. I’m always grateful for what I have.”

Kohli will be in action in the third Test match against Australia, which will be played at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore from March 1.