Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have captained Team India in Test cricket over the last eight years. They have been the two full-time captains of the team after MS Dhoni retired from the longest format of cricket. While Virat had a long stint as the skipper, Rohit only became the captain in the start of 2022.
Both captains led the team to the first position in ICC Test Rankings and wins against teams like Australia. However, they could not guide the Indian team become the champions of the World Test Championship.
Many cricket fans would know that the captaincy styles of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are quite different. While Kohli shows his aggression on the field and brings a lot of energy, Sharma believes in calmness and calls the shots as per the situation of the match without showing too many emotions.
Apart from their styles of captaincy, there has also been a difference in the players they have backed. Here’s a list of two players whom Virat backed in Test cricket but Rohit did not.
1. Mayank Agarwal played many Tests under Virat Kohli but was dropped after Rohit Sharma captained in 2 Tests
Mayank Agarwal was a regular part of the Indian Test team from 2019 to early 2022. He played 21 Test matches, with a majority of them coming under the leadership of Virat Kohli. Agarwal scored 1,488 runs in 21 Tests, with his highest score being 243. Under Rohit Sharma, he played two Tests against Sri Lanka, where he did not impress much and was dropped soon.
2. Hanuma Vihari
Hanuma Vihari was expected to be India’s new middle-order star after the selectors dropped Ajinkya Rahane. He played 16 Tests from 2018 to 2022. Only two of those Tests came under Rohit Sharma. Although he performed decently in those Tests, Vihari was dropped from the team after the Test against England.
