"Virat Kohli always gave the impression that"- Karn Sharma opens a pandora box

India spinner Karn Sharma revealed an incident that defined Virat Kohli's way of leading the team in Test cricket.

The incident is from Karn's debut Test match against Australia in Adelaide in 2014 when Kohli was adamant about chasing down 363 runs despite knowing that it was highly difficult.

Although India lost the Test match, they gave Australia a huge scare by scoring 315 runs in the fourth innings of the match. Kohli had already stamped his authority on how he wants India to play Test cricket under his leadership.

Kohli went on to establish himself as India's most successful Test captain with 40 wins in 68 Tests and a win percentage of 58.82.

The biggest reason for his success was his attacking approach which helped India register some memorable overseas victories in Australia, England, and South Africa.

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Karn Sharma speaks on Virat Kohli's aggressive approach in Tests

While speaking on a podcast with Manjot Kalra on the latter's YouTube channel, Karn Sharma remembered his Test debut in Adelaide where India were chasing 363 runs in the fourth innings. But despite the tough circumstances against some top-class bowling, Kohli wanted India to go for a win.

"Making my Test debut against Australia in Australia will always remain special. Very few people get that type of start. The dressing room atmosphere was quite good. Ravi Shastri, the coach, was there. We were chasing over 300 runs in that match and Virat said 'No draw. We are going to chase it down. That injected a lot of positivity among players in the dressing room," Karn Sharma said.

"It was a different approach" - Karn Sharma on Virat Kohli's aggressive approach

Karn felt that it was a fresh approach from the new Indian captain who wanted to take on the Australian bowlers in their conditions.

"It was a different approach. Different captain has a different approach, But ever since he said we are chasing over 300 in the fourth innings of a Test – which was very tough in Australian conditions – it sends a wonderful indication to the players in the dressing room, that your captain has different plans," Karn added.

This match was also Virat Kohli's first Test as India captain. India lost the match but the Test match remains memorable for India's attacking approach in overseas conditions. Kohli had a great match individually as he scored two hundreds in the Test match.

Before this Test series, Virat Kohli was going through the worst form of his career. He had scored just 128 runs in 10 Test innings in England as India lost the series 1-3 to the home team.

Virat Kohli never showed that he is out of form - Karn Sharma

But Karn Sharma felt that Kohli would never show that he was out of form and would keep on training hard in the nets. His positive approach towards the game made him such a great player.

"He didn't get runs but to be honest, it never looked as if he was out of form. He always gave the impression that everything was fine. Through his preparations, fitness, and mental approach, Kohli never appeared too bothered or was fretting over the fact that he had a bad Test series," Sharma added.

Virat Kohli will be in action in India's home Test series against Bangladesh starting on September 19. The 35-year-old will be crucial to India's chances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2025, which will be played later this year.