Numbers inform the story—why Kohli was greatest Indian Test captain, in august firm amongst contemporaries

Virat Kohli’s resolution to step down because the Test captain marks the tip of an period throughout which the Indian group tasted unparalleled success and notched up an enviable report throughout all codecs. It brings the curtains down on a memorable spell in India’s Test historical past which was marked by memorable victories on international soil, ruthless dominance and arguably the best fleet of quick bowlers who operated in tandem with relentless power.
All of this, mixed with Kohli’s uncompromising and aggressive management, noticed India turn out to be the primary ranked aspect in Tests. But wanting past the emotion and the aggression, the chilly, laborious numbers additionally inform a narrative which isn’t a lot completely different from what meets the attention—Kohli was by far the very best Indian captain and in extraordinarily august firm amongst his contemporaries.

Judging by the win proportion, Kohli is way forward of his contemporaries. He has captained India in 68 matches, out of which he gained 40, misplaced 17 and drew 11. That interprets to a win proportion of 58.82, which is a lot better than Joe Root (44.26), the one present-day Test skipper whose numbers are corresponding to Kohli’s.
Among captains who’ve led their sides in no less than 50 matches, solely Steve Waugh (50.98%) and Ricky Ponting (62.33%) have higher victory percentages than Kohli. Among gamers making probably the most variety of appearances because the Test skipper, Kohli is sixth on the record, having led India in 68 matches. Only Graeme Smith, Allan Border, Stephen Fleming, Ricky Ponting and Clive Lloyd have made extra appearances for his or her aspect because the Test captain.
Among Indian Test captains, Kohli is by far probably the most profitable. His predecessors—Sourav Ganguly, who injected hope into the group on the flip of the century, and MS Dhoni, below whom India had an general spectacular report throughout codecs—helped India register commanding victories and notched up spectacular numbers as Test skippers. But these figures pale compared to what Kohli has achieved.
Indian captain Virat Kohli after South Africa beat India 2-1 in a check sequence held in Cape Town. (AP Photo)
Dhoni captained India in 60 matches and recorded a win proportion of 45. Ganguly’s win proportion was 42.85, having taken India to 21 wins off the 49 matches he captained. Mohammad Azharuddin and Sunil Gavaskar—each of whom had captained India to 47 matches—had win percentages of 29.78 and 19.14 respectively.

Because of his spectacular win proportion, Kohli is clearly in august firm amongst all Test captains. Among captains who’ve led their sides in no less than 50 Tests, there are solely seven captains who’ve a win proportion of above 50. Apart from Kohli, the record contains Smith, Ponting, Waugh, Hansie Cronje, Michael Vaughan, Sir Viv Richards, and Mark Taylor.
An indicator of Kohli’s captaincy has been his capability to steer from the entrance. Barring a chronic drought within the final couple of years when his numbers dipped, Kohli has been a stellar batsman for the Indian aspect, which coupled together with his vibrant power on the sphere, has been a giant bonus for the aspect.
Kohli scored 20 centuries as a Test captain, which is the second-most after South Africa’s Smith (28). He additionally scored seven double centuries, which is probably the most amongst all captains. His 5864 Test runs because the captain is the fourth-highest for any participant.

🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/huBL6zZ7fZ
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 15, 2022
He additionally led India to 24 residence wins in Tests, which is the third-most after Ponting (29) and Smith (30).
When India lifted the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2018-19, Kohli grew to become the primary Asian captain to report a sequence win in Australia. That was adopted by the spectacular victories in England, the place India lead the sequence 2-1.
Together with Ravi Shastri, Kohli shaped a formidable mixture as India performed fearless cricket throughout codecs and notched up an enviable win ratio.
India’s Virat Kohli, proper, waits for his group to attend a observe session as head coach Ravi Shastri appears to be like on. (AP Photo)
Kohli’s resolution to step down because the Test captain comes quickly after the Indian group failed to beat their “final frontier” in South Africa, succumbing to a 1-2 defeat within the just lately concluded Test sequence. This has been preceded by a chronic interval of performances which will be greatest described as underwhelming by Kohli’s requirements, his stepping down from captaincy in T20Is and ODIs, and a sequence of variations in opinions with the BCCI that performed out within the public eye.
Unshackled by the burdens of captaincy throughout all codecs, Kohli will now be hoping for a late renaissance as he hopes to rediscover the flawless contact that has helped him notch up numerous information and register his imprint within the annals of sporting historical past.