"Virat Kohli pushed us, changed the narrative, now he's not the captain"- Jasprit Bumrah's straight talk

Star India fast bowler has picked Virat Kohli as the leader of the side despite Rohit Sharma being the official captain of Team India. Kohli gave up the captaincy in January 2022 after India lost the Test series to South Africa.

His last T20I as captain was in 2021 in the T20 World Cup match against Namibia. India bowed out of the Super 12 stage of the tournament after losing to Pakistan and New Zealand. As a result, Kohli gave up the white-ball captaincy to Rohit Sharma.

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Virat Kohli is still the leader - Jasprit Bumrah

During a chat with The Indian Express, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah lauded Kohli for his leadership qualities and claimed that the 35-year-old legendary batter is still the captain of the group.

"Virat (Kohli) is different. Virat is energy-driven. You know, he is quite passionate. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He pushed us in terms of fitness. He changed the narrative that way," Bumrah stated.

"Even when now Virat is not the captain, he is still the leader," the 30-year-old quick added.

Jasprit Bumrah said, "Virat Kohli is still a leader in the team, he might not be the captain". (Indian Express). pic.twitter.com/2pHl84meb1

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 26, 2024

Virat Kohli had a fabulous record as India's captain in all the formats. He led India in 213 international games overall. Out of these, India won 135 games while they suffered defeat in 60 matches. He had a win percentage of 63.38 as a captain.

Kohli led India to the semi-final of the ODI World Cup 2019 where India lost to New Zealand. He took India to the No. 1 position in the ICC Test rankings several times. Under Virat Kohli, India reached the final of the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) in 2021, where they lost to New Zealand.

Virat Kohli helped India become a dominant force in Tests

Kohli's ultra-aggression helped India become a dominant force in overseas conditions, especially in Test cricket. India were known to have limited resources for SENA countries and used to struggle in those conditions. But Kohli's desire to win overseas matches and beat teams like South Africa, Australia, and England in their den changed India's mindset altogether.

Under his captaincy, India defeated Australia in their conditions 2-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. His emphasis on having quality fast bowlers paid off as India became a powerful team in overseas conditions.

Even now when Kohli has given up captaincy, he is often seen to be involved in the game more than anyone else. His passion can be seen on the field and his energy acts as a catalyst for the other players in the team. With the bat, he is still one of the most important batters in the team and he proved that in the T20 World Cup 2024 final played last month.

Virat Kohli will be seen in the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka after having retired from the T20Is after India's T20 World Cup title win in Barbados. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the tour and is likely to be back in the Test series against Bangladesh.