Virat Kohli steps down as Test captain: A snapshot of his achievements in this role
Virat Kohli announced his resignation as Team India’s Test captain on Saturday, January 15. Hailed to be the country’s most successful skipper in the longer format of the sport, the 33-year-old ace cricketer has led India to several victories at home and abroad. Under his leadership, India was crowned as the number 1 Test team in the world for a period of 42 months! He expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to lead the team, his mentors, teammates and fans through an Instagram post. Let’s take a look back at some of his most important achievements as the Test captain.
He holds the record for most test appearances as captain
Virat Kohli played in 68 test matches, the most for any Indian captain. Moreover, he led the team to victory in 40 of them, an impressive statistic for any caption of any form of cricket. Only three other captains in the world, namely Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh have managed to secure more wins as captains in Test cricket.
Under Kohli, India won series against Australia and England on their home soil
Australia and England arguably have the most prominent Test squads in the world. To win any match against them is a huge accomplishment in itself. However, under Kohli’s captaincy, India managed to beat Australia 2-1 in a Test series on the Australian soil in January 2021. This impressive performance carried forward to August of the same year, when India beat team England again 2-1 in England.
He led Team India to the ICC WTC finals
Kohli led Team India to qualify for the ICC WTC finals against New Zealand in June 2021. This goes down as one of his most significant achievements as Test captain. Although India lost to the Kiwis by 8 wickets, the team performed consistently throughout the tournament and secured wins against the West Indies, South Africa, Bangladesh, Australia and England- some of the strongest Test teams to exist.
Kohli has the most at-home wins an Indian Test Captain
Kohli has maintained an impressive victory streak on home grounds as well. He secured his 24th win as captain on the Indian soil last year against New Zealand at Mumbai’s Wankhade Stadium.
He created an impressive catalogue of centuries
Kohli is revered around the world for his exceptional batting abilities. With a staggering total of 20 centuries, he holds the record for scoring the most centuries as an Indian Test captain.