More than four years after relinquishing India’s Test captaincy, Virat Kohli has finally spoken in detail about the emotional and mental burden that pushed him to walk away from the role. The former Indian skipper admitted that the constant responsibility of leading the team while also carrying the batting unit eventually left him “completely spent.”
Kohli, who retired from Test cricket last year after India’s series defeat in South Africa, remains the country’s most successful Test captain. During his remarkable seven-year stint, India registered 40 victories in 68 Tests and transformed into one of the most dominant red-ball sides in world cricket.
Virat Kohli reflects on leaving India’s Test captaincy
Speaking during the RCB Innovation Lab on Tuesday, Kohli reflected on how the pressure of being both India’s premier batter and leader gradually became overwhelming.
“I ended up being in a place where I became the focal point of our batting unit and the focal point of leadership. I didn’t realise how much load both those things would present in my daily life,” Kohli said.
The batting icon admitted that his relentless drive to keep Indian cricket at the top prevented him from paying attention to his own well-being. According to Kohli, the exhaustion only became visible once he finally stepped away from captaincy duties.
“By the time I left captaincy, I was completely spent. There was nothing left in the tank. I was completely consumed by it. It was gruesome,” he added.
Kohli’s comments offered fans a rare glimpse into the personal struggles he experienced during one of the most successful leadership eras in Indian cricket history. While India achieved consistent overseas success and dominated the ICC Test rankings, the pressure behind the scenes continued to build.
His decision to resign as Test captain came after India’s 1-2 series loss in South Africa, a result that also denied the team a historic first-ever Test series triumph in the country. Around the same period, Kohli had already stepped down as India’s T20I captain and was later replaced as ODI skipper as well.
The rise of a fearless Test captain
Kohli’s journey as India’s Test captain began in dramatic fashion during the Adelaide Test against Australia in 2014. Filling in for MS Dhoni, who missed the match due to injury, Kohli announced himself with centuries in both innings and nearly guided India to an unforgettable chase.
A year later, at just 26 years old, he led India to a historic Test series win in Sri Lanka — the team’s first series triumph there since 1993. That victory marked the beginning of a golden era under the Kohli and Ravi Shastri partnership.
Under their leadership, India won the ICC Test mace for five consecutive seasons and scripted one of the country’s greatest overseas achievements by defeating Australia in the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Kohli’s aggressive approach, unmatched fitness standards, and emphasis on fast bowling transformed India into a formidable Test side across conditions.
Leadership came at a personal cost
Despite the success, Kohli admitted that leadership demanded complete selflessness, leaving almost no room to focus on his own mental or emotional state.
“The reason you’re given a leadership role is because people believe you can take on more and still manage it,” Kohli explained.
He further added that leadership was more about understanding teammates and helping them perform at their best rather than thinking about oneself.
“To do that, you constantly have to be in a space where you’re not focused on yourself. You don’t even think about whether someone is going to ask you, ‘Are you okay?’” Kohli said.
His candid remarks have once again highlighted the immense pressure modern-day captains face while balancing expectations, performance, and personal well-being.
