5 reasons why Virat Kohli was India's greatest Test captain

Former India skipper Virat Kohli announced his retirement from the longest format of the game on Monday, May 12. The 36-year-old hung up his boots in the red-ball format, putting an end to a 14-year-long career in Test cricket.

Kohli’s decision came soon after Rohit Sharma, who had taken over the captaincy reins from the former, announced his retirement from Test cricket. Sharma made the announcement on Wednesday, May 7.

The Indian cricket team was at its best under Kohli’s captaincy, and he remains the most successful captain to have led India in Tests. Taking over the duties from MS Dhoni in December 2014, Kohli continued to lead India till January 2022.

Some of India’s most iconic and record-breaking Test wins came under Kohli’s leadership, and Indian cricket will forever be indebted to him. His list of achievements, as a player and skipper, is too long, but we discuss five reasons why he was India’s greatest Test captain:

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#5 Best win percentage as a captain, statistically

Kohli, as a captain for India, was the most successful statistically. He led the Indian team in 68 Tests, taking them to a whopping 40 wins and 11 draws, with the team losing just 17 games during his tenure.

With that, he has the finest win percentage among any Indian skipper, of 58.82, and will no doubt go down as not just one of the greatest cricketers, but also one of the best captains to have taken up the role.

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#4 India’s dominance as a pace-heavy unit under Kohli’s reign

The Indian team, for several years, was known for its brilliant spin-attack in red-ball cricket. But it was Kohli’s vision as a leader, alongside Ravi Shastri’s as a coach, that helped India become a force to be reckoned with in the pace department.

Kohli laid more emphasis on pacers and gave them plenty of opportunities to showcase their talent. They then rose to the occasion and matched the stature of the spin-bowling unit.

Thanks to his mentality, India became a lethal pace unit, especially in overseas conditions. The likes of Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Mohammed Siraj, among several others, flourished under him and helped the team win multiple Test matches.

Under Kohli’s tenure, India were no longer dependent on just their spinners.

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#3 Key role in India becoming favorites in foreign conditions

Kohli and Shastri’s tuning as a captain and coach pair worked wonders for India, as the team not only won at home but also started showcasing their dominance overseas. They performed remarkably well against the oldest and among the strongest Test-playing nations: England and Australia.

Kohli made the team a fearsome unit away from home, a trait seldom attributed to the Indian sides of the past. It was Kohli who made the team a major force, be it any ground in the world, as India became one of the finest Test-playing nations.

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#2 Struck the right balance between personal career and team milestones

Kohli was not just good as a captain, but also found the right balance between his performances as a skipper and his outings as a batter. While there have been many instances of captaincy affecting a player's individual performances, Kohli didn't let that get to him.

He struck the right chords, leading the team to memorable and unbelievable victories, while achieving several individual milestones on the way.

You speak of captain’s knock, and Kohli’s name comes to mind first, given how he led his team to victories while also taking charge of the run-scoring duties and notching up tons.

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#1 India dominated Test cricket under Kohli’s captaincy, remaining the No. 1 team for 5 consecutive years

India dominated the ICC Test Rankings for five consecutive years, taking up the No. 1 spot from 2016 to 2021. All of this thanks to Virat Kohli's leadership.

During this period, India defeated Australia Down Under in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2018-19 and again in the 2020-21 edition, achieving the unthinkable. Kohli’s bat did the talking, and he was at his personal best, as a leader and as a cricketer.