Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has said that appointing Virat Kohli as the Test Captain again would be a huge mistake. While Harbhajan admits that Kohli’s record as captain is phenomenal, the 41-year-old believes India should look forward.
The former coach of the Indian team, Ravi Shastri expressed that he wish to see Virat Kohli as the captain for one last time. He said that if he was still the coach, he would have told Kohli to captain the team in the Edgbaston Test against England last year.
Harbhajan Singh told the Hindustan Times that if Kohli returns as captain, India will cease moving ahead. The veteran of 103 tests stated:
“This will be like taking a huge step back. If you keep moving back, how will you move forward? Not that Virat was a bad captain. Till the time he was in charge, Virat was brilliant. Look at this record – the Test wins at home and overseas – it speaks for itself. He’s delivered the results too. But I definitely believe that if Rohit is not playing or is injured or whatever be the reason, we should look at someone else.”
Kohli’s record as Test captain is robust, and he is India’s most successful skipper. The 33-year-old has led them to 40 victories in 68 Tests.
Harbhajan Singh on Virat’s restoration as Test Captain
Harbhajan Singh also stated that Viral Kohli will not take the post if it is offered again permanently, but believes he can step in for a single game. Harbhajan went on to say:
“If it comes to the one-off match, then yes, Virat can take charge. But not otherwise. If it’s a big match like a WTC final, why not? But if you look at a 4-match series where Rohit is not available, then that is the time to invest in a new captain. But if you go back to Virat in a long series, that is not a step in the right direction. Firstly, Virat won’t do it, and even if he does, it will send an indication that we haven’t prepared the next captain.”