Virat Kohli’s tenure as captain in Indian cricket history was marked by extraordinary success and unparalleled records in Test cricket. His leadership skills and great achievements make him one of the best captains. Let’s delve into the reasons behind his greatness:
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Unique Records as an Indian Test Captain:
Virat Kohli stands out as the sole Asian captain with the highest number of victories (40) in Test cricket. Additionally, he holds the record for the most wins (16) with a margin of 200+ runs, showcasing his team’s dominance under his captaincy. Moreover, his home win percentage of 77 is the highest among all Test captains, further highlighting his ability to lead the team to success on home soil. Kohli is also the only Asian captain to have achieved the most top scores (5) in South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia (SENA countries). Under his captaincy, Team India boasts the highest number of away wins (12) with a margin of 100+ runs. Furthermore, he has scored the most test centuries (20) as a captain in the decade from 2010 to 2020. Notably, all three of the top individual scores by an Indian captain belong to Kohli (254*, 243, and 235), emphasizing his phenomenal batting prowess while leading the team.
Leadership Records in Different Formats:
Virat Kohli’s captaincy records extend beyond Test cricket. In One Day Internationals (ODIs), he has demonstrated his astute leadership, guiding India to numerous victories. His captaincy statistics in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) and the Indian Premier League (IPL) also reflect his effectiveness as a leader.
Virat Kohli Captaincy Records in Test and ODI Cricket
Test Captaincy Records:
Virat Kohli’s test captaincy records are remarkable. Among all 28 test captains who have led their teams in 40 or more matches, he ranks third in terms of win percentage. With a batting average of 54, he holds the highest average among Asian captains who have led in at least 50 matches. Notably, he led India to the final of the first-ever World Test Championship against New Zealand.
Exceptional Test Captaincy in India:
At home venues, Kohli’s captaincy resulted in only two test match losses. Out of the 31 matches played at home, he emerged victorious in 23, giving him a win percentage of 77%, the highest among all Indian test captains.
Successful Test Captaincy in Away Matches:
Kohli’s leadership prowess shines even in overseas conditions. He has secured 16 victories out of the 34 matches played away from home, making him the Indian captain with the most wins in away venues. Remarkably, his batting average of 46, including 10 centuries and 12 fifties, demonstrates his consistent performance with the bat as well. Against Australia, one of the SENA countries, Kohli boasts the highest batting average of 62 as a captain, accompanied by four centuries.
Test Captaincy Record at Neutral Venues:
Kohli captained India in the World Test Championship final, held at a neutral venue, although the team was unable to emerge victorious.
Impressive Win/Loss Streaks:
Under Kohli’s captaincy, India won an average of five test matches every year from 2015 to 2019, emphasizing the team’s consistent success during this period. Notably, 2017 stands out as the most successful year for Kohli’s captaincy, with a remarkable W/L ratio of 6. Additionally, during the ICC World Test Championship from 2019 to 2021, Kohli led India to victory in 10 out of 15 matches.
Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin Test Centuries
Success against Different Opposition:
Kohli holds the record for the most wins (18) as a captain against England. He is the only Indian captain to have won the most test matches (07) in South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia (SENA countries). Remarkably, Team India remained undefeated against the West Indies under Kohli’s captaincy.
Toss Record in Test Matches:
As captain, Virat Kohli had a toss winning percentage of 45%. Out of the 68 matches he led, Kohli won 31 tosses and lost 37 tosses.
Test Series Stats:
Under Kohli’s captaincy, Team India participated in a total of 24 series, including 11 home series and 13 away series. Of these, 18 series were won, with 11 victories at home and 7 wins away. Only one series ended in a draw.
Test Rankings under Kohli’s Captaincy:
When Kohli took over the captaincy, India was ranked 7th in Test cricket. However, under his leadership, the team climbed to the top spot in the ICC Test rankings and held that position for an unprecedented 42 months, from October 2016 to March 2020.
Test Centuries as a Captain:
As a Test captain, Kohli scored 20 centuries, the highest by any Indian captain in history. Furthermore, he achieved the remarkable feat of scoring 7 double-centuries in Test cricket, showcasing his incredible consistency and ability to convert starts into big scores.
Virat Kohli’s captaincy era was really one of the finest in Indian cricket history. His records, including leading the team to the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings, highlight his exceptional leadership and invaluable contributions to the success of Indian cricket.
Key Insights About Virat Kohli’s Captaincy in ODIs
Virat Kohli is known for being a successful captain for India in (ODIs). Out of 95 matches under his leadership, Kohli has won 65, boasting an impressive win percentage of 70.43%. MS Dhoni, the second-most successful Indian captain, has a win percentage of 59.52%.
Kohli’s captaincy has been characterized by remarkable consistency and outstanding batting performances. He holds the highest batting average of 72 as a captain in ODIs, a testament to his exceptional run-scoring abilities.
An exceptional achievement of Kohli’s captaincy tenure is his 21 ODI centuries, placing him second in the all-time list of most centuries scored by a captain in ODIs. Notably, he achieved this feat in just 71 innings, surpassing Ricky Ponting’s record of 218 innings.
When it comes to scoring runs as an Indian captain in ODIs, Kohli ranks second with 5,449 runs in 95 matches, averaging an impressive 72. However, it is MS Dhoni who holds the top position, amassing 6,641 runs in 200 matches with an average of 53.
Virat Kohli’s ODI Captaincy Record in India
At home venues, Kohli has excelled as a captain, scoring 2,121 runs in 35 matches with an average of 66, which is the highest among Indian captains. However, he is second to AB de Villiers in terms of average at home conditions.
Kohli holds the record for the most centuries (9) scored by a captain on Indian venues. Out of 35 matches in India under his captaincy, he emerged victorious in 24, resulting in an impressive win percentage of 68.57. The majority of his losses came against Australia, while only one match against West Indies ended in a draw in 2019.
Virat Kohli’s Overseas Captaincy Record in ODIs
Kohli’s prowess extends beyond home conditions, as he ranks as the second-highest run-scorer captain for India in away matches. He has accumulated 2,607 runs in 39 innings with an astonishing average of 86.89, the highest by any captain in the world in away matches.
Another remarkable achievement is Kohli’s 12 centuries in away matches, which stands as the most by any captain in the world. His leadership has resulted in 27 wins out of 39 away matches, leading to a win percentage of 69.23.
Also Read: Top 10 Highest Individual Test Scores by Indian Players against WI
Virat Kohli’s Captaincy Record on Neutral Venues
Kohli’s performances on neutral venues have also been commendable. He has scored 721 runs at such venues, boasting an average of 55.46. As an ODI captain, he has won 12 out of 18 matches played at neutral venues.
Virat Kohli’s Captaincy Record in World Cups
In the 2019 World Cup held in England, Kohli scored 377 runs. Only Sourav Ganguly has scored more runs, with 441 runs in the 2002-03 World Cup held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.
Under Kohli’s captaincy, India remained unbeaten until the semi-final of the year 2019.
Series Stats
Kohli has an impressive track record in bilateral series, winning 8 out of 9 series played in India. The only team that managed to defeat India in India under Kohli’s captaincy was Australia in 2019.
Kohli’s standout performance in bilateral home series was against West Indies in 2019, where he scored 453 runs, setting the record for the highest run tally by an Indian captain in a bilateral home series.
In away series, Kohli has won 7 out of 10 for India. However, India faced defeats in away series against England, Australia, and New Zealand. Notably, New Zealand is the only team to have whitewashed India in a series under Kohli’s captaincy, which occurred in 2020.
Kohli’s remarkable performance in an away series came against South Africa, where he amassed 558 runs, the highest by any captain in an away series.
Virat Kohli’s Captaincy Record by Opponents in ODIs
Kohli has been particularly dominant against West Indies, scoring 1,195 runs in 17 innings with an astonishing average of 99. Additionally, his best batting average comes against South Africa, where he has amassed 652 runs with a remarkable average of 163. Against Pakistan, Kohli has scored 168 runs in four matches as captain.
India has recorded 12 victories against each of Australia, West Indies, and Sri Lanka under Kohli’s captaincy. They have won 7 matches against South Africa and 3 against Bangladesh. Moreover, India has emerged victorious in 5 matches each against England, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe. Finally, India has won 2 matches against Pakistan and Afghanistan under Kohli’s leadership.
Virat Kohli’s Toss Records in ODIs
The coin has favored Kohli on 40 occasions, while he has lost the toss on 55 occasions. Kohli’s longest streak of losing the toss is 5, occurring during the West Indies tour in 2017. On the other hand, his longest streak of winning the toss is 4, achieved twice, first in 2013-14 against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh (3+1), and secondly against West Indies in 2018.
These insights highlight Virat Kohli’s exceptional captaincy record in ODIs, both at home and abroad, along with his remarkable batting prowess and leadership qualities.
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