New Test captain Rohit Sharma wants to take Virat Kohli’s legacy forward, says THIS

Rohit Sharma (left) with Virat Kohli at a training session in Mohali. (Photo: PTI)

Team India opener Rohit Sharma will start a new journey, this time as the captain of the Test team as he prepares to lead the side out for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Mohali on Friday (March 4). The Test is also a landmark occasion for Rohit’s predecessor Virat Kohli, who will be turning out in his 100th Test.

Rohit, who is already the T20 and ODI skipper, said that he aims to build on the gains made by Team India in Tests under Kohli. “I am looking forward to winning as many games as possible in Test cricket as well. We are currently standing in a good position in Tests thanks to the efforts of Virat Kohli. All credit should go to Virat for getting us here. I just want to build on the gains made by Kohli,” Rohit Sharma said during the virtual media conference from Mohali on Thursday (March 3).

"It's an achievement Virat Kohli can be proud of."

Former #TeamIndia Captain and current India Head Coach Rahul Dravid shares his thoughts on @imVkohli's 100th Test. #VK100 pic.twitter.com/yPnnD195kt

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 3, 2022

India are currently in 5th position in the World Test Championships (WTC) after losing their last Test series against South Africa 2-1 earlier this year. The inaugural WTC runners-up have a tough task ahead in their remaining nine games in this cycle if they hope to make the final again in 2023.

Rohit’s side will also miss the services of top Test cricketers like Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma, with combined experience of close to 300 Tests as they look to blood youngsters like Shubman Gill and Hanuma Vihari.

“The remaining WTC will definitely be very challenging. But for me it is very important to be in the present. I will be try to take it one game at a time in the remaining 9 matches in this WTC cycle. We have to win almost every game in the remaining matches,” Rohit added.

The Indian Test skipper was full of praise for Kohli ahead of his landmark match. Asked to recount Kohli’s finest innings in the longest format of the game, Rohit said, “The 2018 series win in Australia under the captaincy of Kohli was really special. When it comes to batting, I think his hundred in the first Test against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2013 was amazing. It was a tough pitch and facing the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander was not easy for us as most of us were on our first tour of South Africa. But Kohli made batting look so easy there, scoring a hundred in first innings and a 90-odd (96) in the second.

“It has been a brilliant and a wonderful journey for Kohli in Test cricket. We want to make it a special occasion for Kohli and hope we have a good 5 days against Sri Lanka,” he added.