"No draw, we are going to chase it down" Karn Sharma recalls Virat Kohli's words during Adelaide 2014 test

Karn Sharma made his test debut against Australia in Adelaide 2014 test

Wrist spinner Karn Sharma has recalled Indian stalwart Virat Kohli’s determination-filled words during his test captaincy debut against Australia in 2014 in Adelaide.

With regular skipper MS Dhoni out due to injury, Kohli got the opportunity to lead India in test cricket for the first time in the 2014 trip to Australia.

The right-handed batter Kohli had a dream match with the bat on his test captaincy debut as he notched up centuries in both innings. Kohli also became the second player after legendary Greg Chappel to score twin centuries on captaincy debut.

We are going to chase it down: Karn Sharma recalls Virat Kohli’s brave words during Adelaide test

Karn Sharma, who made his test debut in the Adelaide test, remembered the game. The 36-year-old Sharma hailed Kohli’s approach and positive mindset while the visitors aimed to chase down a huge target of 364 runs on Day 5.

“Making my Test debut against Australia in Australia will always remain special. Very few people get that type of start. The dressing room atmosphere was quite good. Ravi Shastri, the coach, was there. We were chasing over 300 runs in that match and Virat said ‘no draw. We are going to chase it down.’ That injected a lot of positivity among players in the dressing room,” Karn Sharma said on the show Second innings with Manjot Kalra.

“It was a different approach. Different captains have different approaches, but ever since he said we are chasing over 300 in the fourth innings of a Test – which was very tough in Australian conditions – it sent a wonderful indication to the players in the dressing room that your captain has different plans,” he added.

Coming back to the match, India required 364 runs to win on the last day of the test. Kohli joined Murali Vijay at the crease, and the duo stitched a crucial 185-run stand for the third wicket. At one stage, India were looking to script history, but off-spinner Nathan Lyon’s match-winning spell bundled out India for 315 runs.

Kohli’s fighting knock of 141 went in vain, but he showed glimpses of how he wants to lead the Indian cricket team in the coming years.

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