Virat Kohli will go down in the history of Indian cricket not just as one of the finest batters ever to have come out of the country, but also as one of the best captains to have led the national team across formats. Kohli’s numbers are stellar as skipper and they look even better in cricket’s longest and oldest format. Kohli took charge, officially, as the captain of the Indian Test team in 2015 after MS Dhoni decided to call time on his Test career. He has since taken the Indian team to the pinnacle of glory in Tests. Under him, the team reclaimed the top spot in the ICC test rankings, and also qualified for the final of the first ever ICC World Test Championship.
He led the country to its first ever Test series win on Australian soil and was in charge of the team that currently leads England 2-1 in a Test series, the deciding match of which will be played later this year. Under his stewardship India won every home series that it played, toppling the toughest sides in world cricket.
Here’s his record as Test captain:
Matches – 68
Won – 40
Lost – 17
Draw – 11
Here are a few other important statistics and records that he helped establish as India’s Test captain:
Virat Kohli is the most successful full-time Indian captain in Tests both in terms of number of matches won and in terms of win percentage.
Four overseas Test victories in a calendar year: Kohli is the only Indian captain to achieve the feat twice. Incidentally, it was under Kohli’s captaincy when India achieved the feat for the first time as well.
India won Tests in Brisbane, Lord’s, Oval, and Centurion in one year, equalling the feat in 2018 when India began their away win campaign in Johannesburg, Nottingham, Adelaide, and Melbourne.
First Asian captain to Win at Centuion: Kohli has become the third captain and the first Asian to register a Test win at Centurion, the first two being England’s Nasser Hussain in 2000 and Australia’s Michael Clarke in 2014.
Most Test Wins by Asian Captain in SENA Countries: Centurion win was the seventh under Kohli in 23 Tests (Lost 13 and drawn 3) the most by an Asian Captain in SENA countries.
In overseas Tests, Kohli has won 16 out of 36 Tests
Only Asian skipper to win two Boxing Day fixtures: With the victory against South Africa, Virat became only the first Asian cricketer to lead his team to two wins in Boxing Day Test matches. Earlier, India had conquered Australia, Down Under in 2018, in a series that the visitors won by 2-1.
Promoted
First Indian skipper to win two Test matches in South Africa: The 33-year-old has led India to two Test match victories against South Africa, he’s the only Indian captain to achieve this feat. Previously, India won a Test match in the rainbow nation under Kohli’s captaincy back in 2018. India now needs just one more win, to win a maiden Test series on South African soil.
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