Test #11 as captain
India in West Indies Test Series
West Indies v India - 1st Test played at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua
Summary: After a slew of T20 tournaments, it was India’s turn to shift the focus back to Test cricket. India was all set to face the music in the Caribbean.
Changes: Mohammad Shami and Amit Mishra were the two replacements from the last Test versus South Africa at the Kotla. They came in place of Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja.
Indian XI: M Vijay, S Dhawan, CA Pujara, V Kohli*, AM Rahane, R Ashwin, WP Saha†, A Mishra, Mohammed Shami, I Sharma, UT Yadav
Result: India won by an innings and 92 runs
Test #12 as captain
India in West Indies Test Series
West Indies v India - 2nd Test played at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica (30 July to 03 August 2016)
Summary: India was all set to replicate their superlative show from the opening Test. Murali Vijay got expelled due to a poor strike rate. India, being 1-0 ahead, couldn’t have afforded to get complacent
Changes: K.L Rahul replaced Murali Vijay
Indian XI: KL Rahul, S Dhawan, CA Pujara, V Kohli*, AM Rahane, R Ashwin, WP Saha†, A Mishra, Mohammed Shami, UT Yadav, I Sharma
Result: Match drawn
Test #13 as captain
India in West Indies Test Series
West Indies v India - 3rd Test played at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet (09-13 August 2016)
Summary: The axe came down on Cheteshwar Pujara for not accelerating at the right time. India led the series and looked to continue their consistent run.
Changes: Rohit Sharma comes in for Cheteshwar Pujara and Umesh Yadav makes way for Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Indian XI: KL Rahul, S Dhawan, V Kohli*, AM Rahane, RG Sharma, R Ashwin, WP Saha†, RA Jadeja, B Kumar, Mohammed Shami, I Sharma
Result: India won by 237 runs
Test #14 as captain
India in West Indies Test Series
West Indies v India - 4th Test played at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad (18-22 August, 2016)
Summary: India had already pocketed the series and were looking to wrap things up with a good show in the 4th and final Test. West Indies were left with the task of evading the humiliation of a whitewash.
Changes: Murali Vijay replaces Shikhar Dhawan while Cheteshwar Pujara comes in place of Ravindra Jadeja
Indian XI: M Vijay, KL Rahul, V Kohli*, AM Rahane, RG Sharma, R Ashwin, WP Saha†, CA Pujara, B Kumar, Mohammed Shami, I Sharma
Result: Match drawn
Test #15 as captain
New Zealand in India Test Series
India v New Zealand - 1st Test Played at Green Park, Kanpur (22-26 September 2016)
Summary: India was all set for the 13-match Test season. They looked to start off handsomely against the Kiwis. They went with four specialist bowlers and strengthened their batting with Ravindra Jadeja coming at number nine in the line-up.
Changes: Ravindra Jadeja and Umesh Yadav replaced Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar from their previous encounter against West Indies.
Indian XI: KL Rahul, M Vijay, CA Pujara, V Kohli*, AM Rahane, RG Sharma, R Ashwin, WP Saha†, RA Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, UT Yadav
Result: India won by 197 runs
Test #16 as captain
New Zealand in India Test Series
India v New Zealand - 2nd Test played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata (30 September- 4 October, 2016)
Summary: India looked to pile on the agony for the Kiwis. On a green top, India went in with the genuine swing of Bhuvneshwar Kumar along with the premier spinners.
Changes: Shikhar Dhawan comes in for K.L Rahul and Bhuvneshwar Kumar replaces Umesh Yadav.
Indian XI: S Dhawan, M Vijay, CA Pujara, V Kohli*, AM Rahane, RG Sharma, R Ashwin, WP Saha†, RA Jadeja, B Kumar, Mohammed Shami
Result: India won by 178 runs
Test #17 as captain
New Zealand in India Test Series
India v New Zealand - 3rd Test played at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore (08-12 October, 2016)
Summary: Dhawan suffered a fracture on his left thumb and it ruled him out of the 3rd and final Test. Karun Nair was brought into the squad. With the series already grasped, India were all set for whitewashing the Kiwis. Gautam Gambhir was all set to open for India in his comeback.
Changes: Gautam Gambhir replaced Shikhar Dhawan. Umesh Yadav was back in the side, replacing Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Indian XI: M Vijay, G Gambhir, CA Pujara, V Kohli*, AM Rahane, RG Sharma, RA Jadeja, R Ashwin, WP Saha†, Mohammed Shami, UT Yadav
Test #18 as captain
England in India Test Series
India v England- 1st Test played at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot (09-13 November, 2016)
Summary: Keeping in mind England’s debacle at the hands of Bangladesh spinners, India decided to play three specialist spinners. Rajkot was making its debut as a Test venue
Changes: Amit Mishra replaced Rohit Sharama from the 3rd Test versus New Zealand.
Indian XI: M Vijay, G Gambhir, CA Pujara, V Kohli*, A Mishra, AM Rahane, R Ashwin, WP Saha†, RA Jadeja, UT Yadav, Mohammed Shami
Result: Match drawn
Test #19 as captain
England tour of India, 2nd Test: India v England played at Visakhapatnam (Nov 17-21, 2016)
Summary: After evading a close shave in the first Test, India looked to pull up their socks to put up a show against the English. After Rajkot, it was Visakhapatnam’s turn to make its Test debut.
Changes: K.L Rahul was back in the side after scoring handsomely against Rajasthan, playing for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy. Off break bowler Jayant Yadav made his Test debut, replacing Amit Mishra.
Indian XI: M Vijay, KL Rahul, CA Pujara, V Kohli*, AM Rahane, R Ashwin, WP Saha†, RA Jadeja, J Yadav, Mohammed Shami, UT Yadav
Result: India won by 246 runs
Test #20 as captain
England tour of India, 3rd Test: India v England at Punjab Cricket Association, I.S Bindra Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh, Nov 26-30, 2016
Summary: India, after humbling the English by 246 runs in the 2nd Test, was oozing with confidence. A vibrant Virat Kohli, with 337 runs from two games at an average of 112.33, rarely put a foot wrong. India, only looked to hammer down the nails in the coffin of England’s prospects in the series.
Changes: Courtesy a forearm injury, K.L Rahul was ruled out of the 3rd Test. It paved the way for Karun Nair into the Test team. A strain on the left thigh ruled Wriddhiman Saha out of the Mohali Test and Parthiv Patel was brought in as a replacement.
Indian XI: M. Vijay, P.A Patel, CA Pujara, V.Kohli, A.M Rahane, K.K Nair, R Ashwin, R.A Jadeja, J Yadav, U.T Yadav, Mohammed Shami
Result: India won by 8 wickets
Though just 20 Tests old as a captain, Kohli has come a long way in shouldering the mantle of Test leadership. The future promises to be a positive one for the swashbuckling figure. Kohli’s temperament has adjusted well with the flexibilities of Test cricket.
Teams are wary of Kohli’s cunning ploys to outsmart the oppositions. Even with the bat, Kohli hardly allows the bowlers to get into his mind. In the field, Kohli is vociferous at the face of the batsman and tries to get under the skin of his rivals.
With the kind of attitude presented by Kohli on the field, the hunger and belligerence is evidently visible in his eyes. At the age of 28, he has already been compared to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, and he has gleefully lived up to the hype. The Delhi batsman has steadfastly turned into an indispensable component of the Indian Test team. Provided there aren’t any hiccups, Kohli is set to achieve further heights and shatter further records.
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