Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Bhuvneshwar during 2017 Champions Trophy| PC- AFPVirat Kohli is regarded as one of the finest Test captains that world cricket has ever seen, with Team India reaching unthinkable heights during his seven-year stint. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who played an important role under Kohli, has spoken about his Test captaincy.Bhuvneshwar has been with his former captain at RCB for the last two seasons, where the two senior statesmen have contributed significantly to winning back-to-back IPL silverware.Although he shares a close bond with Kohli, the fast bowler recently said that, alongside some other players, he differed from the former Test captain's fitness culture. Players differed with Kohli's fitness methods: Bhuvneshwar KumarWhen Virat Kohli became India's Test captain, he brought a fitness culture to the team, emphasising the importance of building a successful Test side. While speaking on the same, Bhuvneshwar Kumar stated that it didn't sit right with some players at first, but later everyone was on the same page."When Virat Kohli took over as the Indian Test captain, it took us a few series to understand his thinking and his intent. The moment he took over in Australia, he started talking about fitness and diet culture, there were few who raised questions on what’s the need of it, but down the line everyone came on the same page that it was indeed needed," Bhuvneshwar Kumar said on Jatin Sapru's YouTube Channel. Also Read: Abhishek Sharma Threatens Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Records In IND vs AFG 2nd T20ILater, when results started to fall into place, various players, especially the faster bowlers, credited Kohli's methods for their individual success. Thanks to that fitness culture, Indian pacers in 2019 had a collective bowling average of 15.16, the best for any fast-bowling unit in any calendar year. When Rohit Sharma failed Virat Kohli's Yo-Yo TestsAlthough Bhuvneshwar Kumar didn't name names, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma reportedly had some unsaid issues in the dressing room back in the day. Rohit, who served as Kohli’s deputy before taking over the captaincy from him, wasn’t the biggest fan of the fitness culture, especially the Yo-Yo Test. Ahead of the 2017 England tour, where the opener was picked for just the white-ball series, he initially failed the fitness test before passing it at the last minute. The same thing happened during the famous 2020-21 BGT in Australia, when the medical team deemed Rohit unfit while the squad was being announced, and the then MI captain played an IPL fixture as a statement. Later, Rohit flew to Australia late, but only after missing the first two Test matches. It blew up in the media at the time, with speculation of a rift between the two batters. However, both Kohli and Rohit have always spoken highly about each other in public, showing that they share a long-standing professional bond and friendship.Virat Kohli rose India Test team to unthinkable heightsVirat Kohli took over India's Test reins in late 2014 during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where he captained on an interim basis before taking over full-time after MS Dhoni's Test retirement.Under Kohli, not only did Team India rise from No. 7 to No. 1, but he also led them to famous victories in England, South Africa, and, most importantly, India’s first-ever series victory in Australia during 2018-19.During his seven-year tenure, India won 40 of 68 Test matches, the most for any Indian captain and the the fourth-most overall. Meanwhile, under Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, just like every other fast bowler, was a different beast altogether. He played nine Test matches during Kohli’s captaincy, picking 33 wickets at an average of 22.09 with a strike rate of 47.5.Also Read: Steve Smith's Record In The Ashes As Ashes 2027 Falls In Jeopardy
