The 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle might mark a move for India, away from the dominant team of the late 2010s and towards a new-look unit. The success of debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal in his first match of the tour to West Indies is an indication of that, but he has been supported by two of the more experienced cricketers in world cricket, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
India pace bowler Ishant Sharma was asked about the role that Kohli could play in helping these young stars in the Indian team develop, with the likes of Jaiswal and Shubman Gill trying to knock down spots in all formats of the game.
Beyond just development, however, Ishant believed Kohli could lead by example and set the standard for how the newcomers and youngsters in the team should hold themselves. “The most important thing is that if you are a senior player, you will first have to score your own runs or else the juniors will also ask what is the point of you being a senior,” said Ishant, who is making his commentary debut on the international stage for JioCinema.
Ishant also believed that this was definitely something Kohli would take on board and do well with. “However, I know that Virat Kohli will definitely score runs because of the mental frame he is in currently and the way he is batting.”
Kohli has been criticized for his lack of Test runs in recent years.
