Pujara: 'For Virat, Test cricket was the ultimate format'

Virat Kohli's enduring love for Test cricket and his tireless efforts to champion the game's oldest and most demanding format will be a defining part of his legacy, according to his India team-mate Cheteshwar Pujara.

In a chat with ESPNcricinfo following Kohli's retirement from Test cricket after a remarkable 14-year, 123-match career, Pujara reflected on the values Kohli brought to the longest format.

"He paid a lot of attention to Test format in the era where all the youngsters were looking to play more of white-ball cricket," Pujara said. "For Virat, the ultimate format of the game was Test cricket and for that, he worked really hard."

Pujara highlighted Kohli's transformational influence on the Indian team's fitness standards, especially after he took over as full-time captain in January 2015.

"When he started leading the team from 2015 onwards, that's the time when he brought in the fitness culture in the Indian team. All the teams were trying to work hard on their fitness, but in the Indian team, the fitness had to improve and that was the time when the shift did come in.

"The number of fast bowlers who came into the Indian team at that time also had to work on their fitness. The entire team started working on the fitness and at the same time, Virat paid a lot of attention to the Test format and he wanted the team to be one of the best in the world."

One of Kohli's most defining qualities as captain, according to Pujara, was his relentless focus on taking 20 wickets to win Test matches, even if it meant having to play one less batter at times. Pujara himself had to miss out on a few instances, such as the first two Tests of the 2015 tour to Sri Lanka.

"From the time he was in charge, he always wanted to take 20 wickets," Pujara said. "So the intensity on the field was very important. And for each and every player to put in those suggestions to take those 20 wickets, it was important that everyone came together and then we started working towards the goal.

"He wanted to create that environment and atmosphere on the field where the batters who are batting, they felt the pressure. They felt that we were hunting in the pack. We are on the field to pick wickets. We are not just trying to be there and wait for the moment to pick a wicket. We are there to pick wickets at any time."

Pujara pointed to the 2021 Lord's Test against England as a vivid example of Kohli's leadership and aggression. Before India went out to bowl on the final day, with time seemingly running out, Kohli delivered a rousing speech, urging his bowlers to give England "60 overs of hell". The result was a dramatic 151-run victory that gave India a 1-0 lead in the series.

"That was one of the best victories I have been part of," Pujara said. "Because no one thought that India can win that Test match. It was a brave declaration on day five where only 55-60 overs were left and on a pitch which looked a flat pitch, where to bowl a team out was a big challenge.

"Credit goes to the way everyone performed, the way bowlers bowled, the way Virat led the team, and even the way team management supported that call, because it was important to declare. There are times where you feel like it's a flat pitch, there's no point wasting our energy, but that was a brave call and we ended up winning that Test match."

Asked to pick his favourite Kohli innings, Pujara singled out the combative Perth century during the 2018-19 tour to Australia, where India won 2-1 to record their first-ever Test-series win Down Under.

"Unfortunately, we ended up losing that Test match, but on a pitch like that, which was a fiery pitch where there was a lot of lateral movement, there was enough in the pitch to trouble the batters," Pujara said. "But he came out aggressively, started playing those straight drives, those classic Kohli cover drives, and the way he played the pull shot, because there were times where he was troubled by the pull shot in the earlier games.

"But after that he realised he had to pick the right length to play the pull and hook shot. He came out on top and he played that brilliant innings. It's one of his favourite innings, which I've seen when I was playing with him."