Former India cricketer and batting coach Sanjay Bangar believes that Virat Kohli's decision to step down as India’s Test captain came too soon. According to Bangar, Kohli should have continued leading the Indian Test side for a longer period, considering his impact and vision for the team's performance, especially in overseas conditions.

Virat Kohli's removal as India's captain in limited-overs cricket after the 2021 T20 World Cup took many by surprise, particularly since India failed to reach the semifinals in that tournament. After India's 1-2 series loss in South Africa, Kohli shocked the cricketing world by deciding to resign as the Test captain.

Speaking on The Rao Podcast, Sanjay Bangar shared his thoughts on Kohli's resignation. Bangar said, “I personally feel that he should have continued for longer as a Test captain because he probably captained India in 65 Test matches, and one of the things I feel is that he could have probably continued as a Test captain for a longer period.”

Bangar emphasized Kohli's commitment to improving India’s performances in overseas Test matches, a mission that became central to his captaincy tenure. Under Kohli’s leadership, India had become a formidable force in overseas conditions, which had traditionally been a challenge for the team.

“Virat was driven with the fact that India had to improve their performances overseas,” Bangar noted. “Because in India we knew that whether anybody is there or not, with all due respect to the opposition, if you come to India, India is winning 75 per cent of the time. You'll really have to play poorly to lose in India."

Bangar praised Kohli for setting high fitness standards, which not only elevated his game but also inspired the entire team. “He himself achieved enormous levels of fitness and challenged his physical limits to the hilt. He worked the hardest. I think he scored the maximum runs during that period as a captain and he had that drive,” Bangar added.