Commentator-turned-cricketer Dinesh Karthik has opened that Virat Kohli once confided to him that his real thrill in cricket did not come from individual accomplishments, but from captaining the Indian side, particularly in wearing the national whites. Kohli, who retired from Test cricket in May 2025, said leading India in red-ball cricket was the definiing chapter of his career, though most consider him a legend batter of the game. Karthik further observed that the present skipper Shubman Gill also shares the same thought. He complimented the 25-year-old for keeping team success ahead of personal achievements, demonstrating a sound and selfless leadership attitude. Here is what Karthik said during a conversation alongside fellow commentators on Sky Sports: “Athers [Michael Atherton], you spoke about Virat Kohli. I met him a few days ago, and this talk about captaincy came up. He said people think I'm a great Test cricketer. I enjoyed my Test batting, which I did, but the fact is that getting my captaincy was the best thing to happen in my life,” Gill assumed captaincy from Rohit Sharma and has wholly adopted a selfless leadership approach. Not only did he guide India to an emphatic 336-run win at Edgbaston to square the series, but he also contributed with the bat in powerful style. Gill has scored 430 runs in the Edgbaston Test alone and 585 runs in two matches overall at a phenomenal average of 146.25, with two centuries and a double hundred to his credit. Also Read | Watch: Rahul Drops Catch While Setting Field During Jadeja’s Over “Why I am saying this is that the same line was used by Shubman Gill. He said, I used to bat differently. But now, after I’ve got captaincy, I almost, when I’m batting, think this is what my team requires – rather than me wanting to do something individually as a batter – which I thought, wow,” said Karthik. Gill's captaincy career is going on without a hitch, and the comparisons with Kohli have gained momentum after his phenomenal performance at Edgbaston. Gill became the first cricketer to make a double century and a 150 in the same Test. Karthik underscored Gill's maturity and his ability to modify his batting approach according to the needs of the team, the characteristics that go closest in resembling what Kohli had shown in his captaincy period. “Now, this is something the world of cricket has to take notice of, because here’s nan who has the appetite, who has the skill, who’s got the technique. But now he’s got the mindset as well that says, I’m a captain. I’m going to lead from the front, lead off the front foot. And we saw that in the last Test match. I’m sure there are going to be a lot more Test matches for us to observe him. But it looks like he’s on the right path,” Karthik concluded.