India’s Virat Kohli announced Saturday he was stepping down as Test captain, a day after his side lost a three-match series to South Africa.
“Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test captain of India, it’s now,” he posted on Twitter after seven years in the high-pressure position.
His reign ended with a series loss but witnessed several highs and firsts for Indian cricket. The back-to-back Test triumphs in Australia are the highlight as is the incredible home record. But talk of his legacy will not be complete without a mention of his in-your-face attitude and dedication to fitness. In many ways, he gave birth to an entirely new team culture.
His win percentage of 43.24 in away Tests is the sixth-best by a captain in the history of the game and best by an Indian skipper.
Here’s a look at some numbers that show just how good Kohli was as India’s Test skipper:
Most successful skippers
| Player | Span | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC Smith (ICC/SA) | 2003-2014 | 109 | 53 | 29 | 0 | 27 |
| AR Border (AUS) | 1984-1994 | 93 | 32 | 22 | 1 | 38 |
| SP Fleming (NZ) | 1997-2006 | 80 | 28 | 27 | 0 | 25 |
| RT Ponting (AUS) | 2004-2010 | 77 | 48 | 16 | 0 | 13 |
| CH Lloyd (WI) | 1974-1985 | 74 | 36 | 12 | 0 | 26 |
| V Kohli (INDIA) | 2014-2022 | 68 | 40 | 17 | 0 | 11 |
| JE Root (ENG) | 2017-2022 | 61* | 27 | 24 | 0 | 9 |
| MS Dhoni (INDIA) | 2008-2014 | 60 | 27 | 18 | 0 | 15 |
| AN Cook (ENG) | 2010-2016 | 59 | 24 | 22 | 0 | 13 |
| SR Waugh (AUS) | 1999-2004 | 57 | 41 | 9 | 0 | 7 |
Most successful Indian skippers
| Player | Span | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V Kohli | 2014-2022 | 68 | 40 | 17 | 0 | 11 |
| MS Dhoni | 2008-2014 | 60 | 27 | 18 | 0 | 15 |
| SC Ganguly | 2000-2005 | 49 | 21 | 13 | 0 | 15 |
| M Azharuddin | 1990-1999 | 47 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 19 |
| SM Gavaskar | 1976-1985 | 47 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 30 |
| Nawab of Pataudi | 1962-1975 | 40 | 9 | 19 | 0 | 12 |
| N Kapil Dev | 1983-1987 | 34 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 22 |
| R Dravid | 2003-2007 | 25 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 11 |
| SR Tendulkar | 1996-2000 | 25 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 12 |
| BS Bedi | 1976-1978 | 22 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 5 |
Best batting average as Test skipper
| Player | Country | Career | Mat | Runs | HS | 100s | 50s | Avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smith, G C | South Africa | 2002-2014 | 109 | 8659 | 277 | 25 | 36 | 47.84 |
| 2 | Border, A R | Australia | 1978-1994 | 93 | 6623 | 205 | 15 | 36 | 50.95 |
| 3 | Ponting, R T | Australia | 1995-2012 | 77 | 6542 | 209 | 19 | 35 | 51.51 |
| 4 | Kohli, V | India | 2011- | 68 | 5864 | 254* | 20 | 18 | 54.80 |
| 5 | Lloyd, C H | West Indies | 1966-1984 | 74 | 5233 | 242* | 14 | 27 | 51.30 |
| 6 | Fleming, S P | New Zealand | 1994-2008 | 80 | 5156 | 274* | 8 | 31 | 40.60 |
| 7 | Root, J E | England | 2012- | 61 | 4961 | 228 | 12 | 26 | 46.80 |
| 8 | Cook, A N | England | 2006-2018 | 59 | 4844 | 263 | 12 | 24 | 46.58 |
| 9 | Lara, B C | West Indies | 1990-2006 | 47 | 4685 | 400* | 14 | 19 | 57.84 |
| 10 | Misbah-ul-Haq | Pakistan | 2001-2017 | 56 | 4214 | 135 | 8 | 35 | 51.39 |
India didn’t lost any Test series at home under the captaincy of Virat Kohli - 11 out of 11 won.
— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) January 15, 2022
India also won a Test series in Australia, Sri Lanka and West Indies under the captaincy of Virat Kohli.#ViratKohli
#ViratKohli is one of the 18 Players to lead a team in 50 or more Test matches.
— Prasenjit Dey (@CricPrasen) January 15, 2022
Highest Batting Avg as Captain among them:
54.80 - Virat Kohli
52.30 - Steve Waugh
51.51 - Ricky Ponting
51.39 - Misbah-ul-Haq
51.30 - Clive Lloyd
Sums up his class!
Most wickets/Tests by pacers under an Indian captain:
— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) January 15, 2022
8.69 : Virat Kohli*
8.44 : Rahul Dravid
7.77 : MS Dhoni #ViratKohli
Stats courtesy ESPNCricinfo and HowStat