Virat Kohli's resignation from India's Test captaincy came down as a heartbreak for umpteen cricket fans across the world while for some it was also a sheer emotional moment. Indian pacer Shardul Thakur also shared the same feeling when it happened. He said that it was an emotional moment for all when Kohli announced his decision as India performed extremely well under his leadership in overseas conditions.
“It was an emotional moment for everyone. No one expected him to step down from Test captaincy. We did well under his captaincy, especially overseas. The series we lost overseas were close. Under his leadership The team was performing well and no one expected it. However, now that they have taken their decision, everyone should respect it,” Thakur told The Indian Express.
Kohli stepped down from Test captaincy after India’s 1-2 series loss against South Africa. The decision shocked the cricketing world as the BCCI seemed unprepared for the transitional phase in red-ball cricket.
Shardul Thakur, who has played 5 Tests under Kohli's captaincy, also underlined that India began dominating away from home during the aegis of Virat and they were competitive even in the defeats they suffered.
Kohli finished as India's most successful Test captain, clinching 40 victories in 68 matches, and never lost a series at home. Kohli's decision to quit Test captaincy had helped quite a few eyebrows as he had said in September last year that he wanted to continue as ODI and Test captain after stepping down from T20I captaincy.
The Mumbai based cricketer further further talked about India’s defeat to South Africa in the Test series where the bowlers failed to defend the 200-plus target twice on Proteas soil.
“In those two Tests, luck wasn’t on our side. There were many times when their batsman edged, but the ball fell short or flew above us. We later realised that edges will not carry, so our fielders came closer. We were unlucky many times. Once they were 150 for 3, and we bowled them out. Once you are chasing 200-plus, there is confidence in the dressing room that it is chaseable. But if the target is 300-plus in the fourth innings, pressure starts to build up. In those two Test matches, we lost as our bowling and fielding unit didn’t carry the luck with ourselves," he said.
Shardul is part of India’s squad for the upcoming series against West Indies. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Deepak Chahar, Shardul will have a big onus on his back to bolster India's bowling attack.
