Ricky Ponting: I was taken aback by Virat Kohli’s call to quit Test captaincy

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has said “I was shocked” to learn Virat Kohli’s decision to step away from India’s Test captaincy last month. Kohli triggered a shock wave around world cricket with his decision on January 15 – a day after India lost series in South Africa 2-1 – that he would not continue as the team’s leader anymore.

The 33-year-old had given away the T20I captaincy at the end of the T20 World Cup in November and was sacked unceremoniously from the reigns in ODIs in December. But the modern-day great was expected to continue in his position in the Test whites, especially as his side approaches an imminent transition phase.

However, in a statement issued on Twitter, Virat Kohli confirmed his decision to quit Test captaincy, stating that “I have absolute clarity in my head (with regards to his future) and I cannot be dishonest to my team”.

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— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 15, 2022

But Ricky Ponting made it absolutely clear, he found the move very surprising, especially having watched Kohli play with all his passion in his dual role as batter and leader of the pack.

Ponting, who is the head coach of Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL, also revealed he had a chat with the man during the first half of IPL 2021 where Kohli hinted he will quit white-ball captaincy but made no mention that he could do so in the Test match game as well.

“Yes, it did actually (surprise me). Probably the main reason why is I had a chat and good catch-up with Virat during the first part of the IPL (2021) before it got postponed,” Ponting was quoted as saying from ‘The ICC Review’ show with Isa Guha.

“He was talking then about stepping away (from captaincy) from white-ball cricket and how passionate he was to continue on to be Test match captain. He just loved and cherished that job and that post so much. Obviously, the Indian Test team had achieved a lot under his leadership. When I heard it, I was really, really surprised.”

“You only have to watch him on the field for an hour of the day’s play to realise how passionate he is about that job and the role, and how much he wants the team to win and how much he wants the best for Indian cricket, “ he added.

Also Read – Let No One Tell You Otherwise, Virat Kohli Steps Back With His Head Held High

There is a shelf-life for international captains: Ricky Ponting

In a wider view of things, Ricky Ponting said captains at the highest level of the game tend to have a “shelf-life”. He related Kohli’s case with that of his own, having also led Australia to great heights during his mighty successful tenure back in the day.

Ponting reinforced that he perhaps overstayed as Australian captain, a view he has previously also expressed with honesty. Keeping that in mind, he said Kohli probably began to feel more weight on his shoulders with time.

“I was shocked (with Kohli’s move), but then I started thinking about other things, even my own time as captain. I have gone on record and said that I probably think I played a couple of years longer than I should have in hindsight . I think I might have been captain for a couple of years longer than I should have,” said the legend.

“So I think there is potentially a shelf-life for international cricket captains and even coaches. Virat’s been there for close to seven years now. If there’s a country in the world that’s the most difficult to captain, it’s probably India because of just how popular the game is and how much every single Indian loves to see the fortunes of the Indian cricket team, whether they are good or bad. You weigh all those things up.”

Ponting lauded Kohli for his achievements as a Test match captain, winning 40 of his 68 Tests at the helm. He went to the extent of calling what Kohli did with the Indian team as more “staggering” than even what he managed to achieve with the then Australian side.

In another honest remark, Ponting said the team he took over from Steve Waugh had plenty of great players, especially a rounded bowling attack. But the team that Kohli carried forward was languishing at No.7 back in early 2015 with a group of talented but inexperienced young players.

Kohli’s captaincy tenure coincided with India building a battery of fast-bowlers that helped the team achieve results in overseas conditions as well. The biggest triumphs being India’s successive 2-1 series wins in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21 summers.

“It was more of a staggering achievement for India than it was for us. When I took over, I took over a side that had dominated world cricket for a long time,” Ricky Ponting said.

“If you think about India before Virat, it was about winning a lot of games at home and not winning quite as many overseas. The thing that improved the most was India winning a few more games overseas, and that’s something that he and all of the Indian cricket have to be really proud of.”

“The other thing is there was really was a real focus placed on Test cricket by the BCCI when Virat took over, and I think a lot of it has come from him as well – to focus more on Test cricket and winning more games home and away.”

“Given his Test record as captain, he can walk away from the role very, very proud of what he has achieved.”