'Legacy you left behind has forever changed Indian cricket, just like Brendon McCullum did for New Zealand' - Ajaz Patel on Virat Kohli

New Zealand left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel had recently lauded Virat Kohli for leaving a legacy behind in Indian cricket as Brendon Mccullum did for the Kiwis a few years back. Kohli had recently given up the Test captaincy for India following the 1-2 series loss to South Africa and a lot of fans and experts were surprised by the 33-year-old’s decision. It has to be noted that Kohli has been the most successful Test captain for India with 40 wins in 68 Tests.

The modern-day great had also taken India into the finals of the World Test Championship and has changed the way India has been performed in overseas conditions. India won their first-ever Test series in Australia under Kohli in 2018-19 and he has taken the country from 7th to 1st position debut in ICC rankings since his Test. Patel, meanwhile, had taken a ten-wicket haul recently in Tests against India and he received praises in the dressing room from Kohli.

Ajaz Patel compares Virat Kohli with Brendon McCullum

Patel lauded Kohli for his efforts as a captain for India and noted the legacy that Kohli has left behind will stay on the Indian side. He also noted that Brendon McCullum had a similar kind of impact on New Zealand when he retired in 2016. McCullum played 101 Tests, 260 ODIs and 71 T20Is for the Kiwis with more than 14,000 runs in his international career and was deemed as one of the greatest New Zealand batters to have played the game.

“Congrats to @imVkohli on your tenure as @BCCI captain, the legacy and direction you leave behind has forever changed Indian cricket. Much like we saw @BLACKCAPS by @Bazmccullum,” Patel tweeted on Twitter

Congrats to @imVkohli on your tenure as @BCCI captain, the legacy and direction you leave behind has forever changed Indian cricket. 👏🏽 Much like we saw @BLACKCAPS by @Bazmccullum

— ajaz patel (@AjazP) January 17, 2022

Virat Kohli’s sudden decision to leave the captaincy has now opened the doors for Rohit Sharma to captain the Indian side in all three formats, although the latter hasn’t been confirmed yet. India will be playing a home Test series against Sri Lanka after returning from South Africa and it will be interesting to see who gets the nod to replace Kohli as the Test captain.