'Most Influential Test Cricketer': R Ashwin Heaps Massive Praise On Virat Kohli While Lifting Lid On Their Special Bond

India head into a must-win two-Test series against New Zealand with Ravichandran Ashwin praising Virat Kohli as one of the finest Test captains of all time and the "most influential Test cricketer". The series starts on Thursday, November 19, at Basin Reserve in Wellington.

This Test series is crucial for both teams given their chances to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 final. New Zealand are in a stronger position, while Shubman Gill’s side needs at least one win in the series to keep their hopes alive for the WTC final.

Ashwin’s remarks came on a podcast with former India opener Aakash Chopra. The former India spinner spoke about Kohli’s intensity, his effect on the team and crowd and a personal conversation around Ashwin’s retirement during the India-Australia series.

Ashwin on Kohli

Ashwin did not hold back.

He called Kohli the "most influential Test cricketer" and said the former India captain changed the mood and energy of a game as both player and leader. Ashwin also said he only fully understood Kohli’s value after that presence was missing.

"Virat Kohli is the most influential Test cricketer. Sometimes, while playing with him, you feel like he increases the intensity a lot. I also felt like so much was not needed in some situations, and he could have been more patient. But when he left captaincy, and we played a series in England, and he was not there. I missed him in that series," Ashwin said on a podcast with Aakash Chopra.

Ashwin then explained why that absence stood out to him. "He always brought that intensity and tried to run the game differently. I really started missing it. Then I realised he found a way to take the team forward and held onto it, which is why the team benefited a lot. When he is not there, you really feel it. I felt his absence."

Intensity and Energy

Ashwin also spoke about Kohli’s aggressive nature.

He said it can look funny from the outside, but on the field it lifts the team’s energy and even drives the crowd. Ashwin added that he had often asked Kohli where that energy came from, but never got a real answer.

"It looks funny at times, but that intensity lifts the team's intensity, and the crowd's as well. It is quite unreal. Where does so much energy come from? I have asked him many times what he eats. It is unreal. It is ridiculous," Ashwin said.

Those remarks came as India prepare for a series that is crucial for both teams in the race to the ICC World Test Championship 2025-2027 final.

Retirement Talk With Kohli

Ashwin also opened up on how his equation with Kohli changed.

He said their relationship became better after the Covid-19 break. During the India-Australia series, when Ashwin had decided to retire, he went and sat with Kohli without initially raising the subject.

"My relationship with Virat became better after the COVID break. I just went and sat with him. I never actually spoke to him about retirement. He was talking about his batting and how he sees the Indian Test team. He was talking like a leader. I was listening, and then he asked me what I felt," Ashwin said.

That was when Ashwin finally told Kohli about his decision. "It was then that I told him that it did not matter what I felt because I was going to retire. He was like 'What are you saying?" He actually got emotional. He asked me how I decided on it."