Virat Kohli A Better Test Captain Than Limited-Overs Captain, Says Irfan Pathan

Former India allrounder Irfan Pathan believes Virat Kohli is a better captain in Test cricket than in the white-ball formats of the game. His comments came just a day before Virat Kohli leads India in the first Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. It will be a day-night encounter.

Earlier this month, Virat Kohli led India to a series win in the T20Is against the Aussies. Prior to that, India had lost the ODIs. The 32-year old will be looking to guide India to a win in the only Test he will play in the series as he will return home after the Adelaide Test to attend the birth of his first child.

And as Virat Kohli gear up to lead India in the series-opener, Irfan Pathan has lavished praise on him. The former cricketer replied in the affirmative when asked if he considers Virat Kohli’s captaincy in Test matches to be better than that in limited-overs cricket.

“Absolutely, I believe that. And there is a reason for that. Because when you have to perform better in Test cricket, you need to have amazing fitness and the consistency of that fitness along with that,” Irfan Pathan said on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

Pathan further said that there is no drop in Virat Kohli’s intensity either as a batsman or as a skipper over the five days of the match. He pointed out how Kohli’s sustained aggression has helped him get results in the longest format of the game.

“Aggression is his strength but to continuously have that aggression for five days is not possible for everyone. And Virat Kohli does that continuously and that is why with that aggression, with that fitness, his batsmanship and his captaincy work together and there is no fall in either of them,” said Pathan.

“That is why I feel that what is most required in Test cricket, Virat Kohli uses that very well and that is aggression and he maintains that as well. That is why you see the results again and again,” he added.

Virat Kohli’s record as a captain in Test cricket has been really impressive. Since taking charge of the team, he has amassed 5142 runs at an average of 61.21 in 55 Tests. Out of those 55 games, India ended up on the winning side on 33 occasions.

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