India's Best Test XI under Virat Kohli in Indian conditions

Test cricket has seen long periods of dominance by great teams of the past. The mighty Windies of the 70s and 80s and the all-conquering Australians in the late 90s and 2000s maintained their hegemony at the very top in the longer format of the game.

It has been generally observed that Test teams have enjoyed a greater deal of success playing in home conditions. Graduating into Test cricket from their domestic first-class structure, the homegrown players are used to the bounce and pace of the wickets in their own country and adjust pretty quickly at the highest level.

On similar lines, bowlers know just about what length they need to pitch the ball to get maximum results out the deck. Going by the record books, it is very clear that all the Test playing nations boast of a much more impressive record at home than playing in overseas conditions.

While Australians, South Africans, English and the New Zealanders thrive on quick and bouncy wickets back home, sub-continent heavyweights like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have been at their lethal best on the relatively slow, turning and batting friendly tracks.

Each team plays to its strengths by striking the right playing combination and preparing wickets to leverage maximum out of their home conditions. India has always been considered a strong Test team playing at home.

In the 90s, Azharuddin-led India were a formidable Test side at home courtesy a heavy batting lineup and quality spinners. India under Sourav Ganguly were pretty successful abroad were equally strong back home with the ‘Fab Five’ at the peaks of their prowess. MS Dhoni took the Indian team to the Numero Uno position in Test cricket courtesy a spree of bilateral series victories on home soil.

Under Virat Kohli, the Indian team has become an impregnable fortress on home soil, being simply unbeatable over the last three odd seasons. They have been a juggernaut winning a record-equalling ten bilateral Test series at home. Kohli has been lucky to lead a bunch of superstars who are match winners in their own right.

He has the requisite arsenal in both batting and bowling to win Test matches. A formidable batting lineup, world-class spinners and a potent pace battery make India arguably the best Test side at home.

It is quite astonishing that India has not lost a bilateral Test series in almost 5 years at home. Under Kohli's captaincy, India has won an impressive 15 of the 21 Test played at home and lost just once. Indian team's win percentage at home is the best among all Test playing nations in the last three years.

So let us have a look at the best eleven players who have been regularly picked in the Indian Test team under Kohli’s captaincy and have contributed consistently with either bat or ball to make India the best Test playing nation at home in the last three years.

Before going through India's best playing eleven under Virat Kohli at home, i would give my rationale as to why certain players who have contributed did not make the cut.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan has been in and out of the Test playing eleven so does not make the cut. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma have been preferred as the first choice Test seamers when India tours abroad but they both do not feature regularly in the playing eleven when India plays Tests at home so they miss the cut.

Allrounder Hardik Pandya is yet to play a Test in India. Promising youngsters like Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw and Kuldeep Yadav have just come onto the Test scene and have just played two matches each so they haven't been considered for selection.

#1 Murali Vijay

Murali Vijay has been India’s frontline opener in Test matches at home. The right-handed opener who has a well-organised technique has consistently scored runs at the top of the order in bilateral Test series played at home under Virat Kohli's captaincy.

The Tamil Nadu opener is an elegant stroke maker who is equally adept at attack or defence. Vijay has the ability to occupy the crease for long and play the waiting game. Murali relishes batting on docile sub-continent wickets and scored some scintillating tons. The stylish stroke-maker has good footwork and uses his feet well against both pacers and spinners. With five tons to his name, Vijay has been the most successful Test opener in bilateral series played at home under Virat Kohli's captaincy.

Record Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy at home

Matches 17 Runs 1254 Avg 44.78 100s 5 50s 4

#2. KL Rahul

England v India: Specsavers 4th Test - Day One

Lokesh Rahul has emerged as one of the most talented batsmen to bloom under Virat Kohli’s captaincy. Rahul has an elegant touch to his batting and makes run-scoring look effortless. When in full flow, Rahul’s batting is pleasing to the eye.

Under Kohli's captaincy, he has been quite successful opening the innings for India at home. The Karnataka lad announced himself with a monumental 199 against England and scored heavily against both the English and New Zealand in subsequent Test series.

Rahul has been getting good starts but he often fails to convert them into big scores, an area he definitely needs to improve. If he works a bit more on his shot selection, the classy stroke maker seems to have a bright future ahead of him.

Record Under Kohli’s captaincy at home

Matches 12 Runs 720 Avg 40.00 100s 1 50s 5

#3. Cheteshwar Pujara

England v India: Specsavers 3rd Test - Day Three

Cheteshwar Pujara has been the lynchpin of the Indian middle order under Virat Kohli's captaincy. Pujara whose game is built around a solid technique and well-organised defence has been phenomenal as a run grafter. Pujara has struck a purple patch in Tests at home notching up a spree of consistent scores over the last three years.

Batting at number three, Pujara provides solidity to the batting and helps other stroke makers to express themselves with their free-flowing game. Blessed with immense concentration and ability to occupy the crease, the ever dependable Pujara has the penchant to score big double hundreds. Under Kohli’s captaincy, he averages over 55 with five tons and ten half-centuries in Test matches played in India.

Test record under Virat Kohli’s captaincy at home

Matches 21 Runs 1846 Avg 57.68 100s 5 50s 10

#4. Virat Kohli (Captain)

Virat Kohli has been India’s most accomplished Test batsman among the crop of players. The free-flowing stroke maker has been in superlative form with the bat ever since donning the captaincy hat. The prolific run-scoring machine who has all the shots in his batting armoury has been a heavy run scorer for India in bilateral series played at home.

The Indian Test skipper's 50 to 100 conversion is the best among all Indian batsmen and he usually goes on get a daddy hundred once he gets his eye in. Over the last three years, Kohli leads the run-scoring charts for India in red ball cricket. As a captain, he has led from the front by scoring five double tons, the most by an Indian captain in Tests.

Kohli Record as Test captain

Matches 21 Runs 2246 Avg 72.45 100s 8 50s 4

#5. Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane has been one of India’s most elegant batsman in Test cricket. Rahane’s batting is custom made to the longer format as he is technically sound and has a calm temperament to fend off hostile bowling spells and play out sessions.

Rahane plays a high percentage game and does not take too many risks while accumulating runs. The Mumbaikar has the ability to move the ball into the gaps with his supple wrists and also can play the lofted shots with utmost ease.

Given the enormous talent he possesses with the willow, the wristy stroke maker has been among the runs but would certainly like to improve on his modest batting record in Test matches played on Indian soil.

Test Record Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy at home

Matches 19 Runs 1038 Avg 35.79 100s 3 50s 4

#6. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma has got a new lease of life in Test cricket under Virat Kohli's captaincy ever since batting at the number 6 position for India. Rohit has partially solved India’s lower middle order woes especially in batting friendly home conditions. The 'Hitman' has translated some of his stellar ODI form into Test cricket by racking up consistent scores against New Zealand and Sri Lanka in bilateral series played at home.

In the last season, Sharma was pretty consistent with the willow in Test matches played at home but continues to be challenged for a place in the Indian squad with the emergence of promising youngsters like KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant. With India going overseas to play Test series against Australia and New Zealand, Rohit will have to wait and watch if he is in the selector's scheme of things.

Test Record under Virat Kohli's captaincy in India

Matches 7 Runs 481 Avg 60.12 100s 1 50s 5

#7 Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja has been one of Virat Kohli’s main strike weapons with the ball in Test matches played on home soil. Jadeja has been the spin twin to Ravichandran Ashwin in most of the bilateral series played at home. 'Jaddu' provides the perfect foil to his off-spin partner with his deadly accurate left-arm spin. He bowls his left arm spin with a flat trajectory and turns the ball just enough to set up his dismissals.

Jadeja has been a consistent wicket-taker at home picking up over 100 wickets in just 21 Tests. The left-hander is a handy batsman down the order and chips in with valuable contributions with the bat. He is one of the best fielders in the Indian test team besides being one of chirpiest blokes in the dressing room.

Bowling Record Under Virat Kohli's captaincy at home

Matches 21 Wickets 107 Avg 20.42 Eco 2.20

#8. Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha has been India's first choice Test keeper under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. Saha is technically the best gloveman in the country with sharp reflexes and hare-like agility. The diminutive yet athletic wicketkeeper has been clinical with his glovesmanship , taking some brilliant catches and effecting some quick stumpings off the bowling of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

A lower middle order batsman, Saha has shown potential with the willow and has chipped in with crucial knocks for India in red ball cricket. Saha with his electrifying wicket keeping skills has certainly not let Indian cricket feel the absence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps. With Rishabh Pant making a stellar debut in Test, it has to be seen if selectors persist with the more experienced Saha in the longer format of the game.

Test record under Virat Kohli's captaincy

Matches 16 Runs 537 Avg 33.56 100s 2 50s 2

#9. Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin has been India’s frontline Test spinner at home over the last five years. Ashwin has been Virat Kohli's most potent weapon with the ball in Test matches played in India. The off-spinner has cast a web around the best of batting lineups with his bagful of variations. He is a master of deception by mixing his carom ball with his stock off-spin delivery.

Under Kohli's captaincy, Ashwin has magical figures at home, picking up 130 wickets in just 21 matches. He has been undoubtedly India’s biggest match-winner with the ball, picking up 11 five wicket hauls in an innings and four ten-wicket hauls in a match. Ashwin has also been more than a handy lower order batsman, contributing consistently with the willow down the order.

Bowling Record Under Virat Kohli's captaincy at home

Matches 21 Wickets 130 Avg 22.11 Eco 2.72

#10.Mohammad Shami

Mohammad Shami has been one of the best seamers for India in Test cricket over the last three seasons. Shami bowls at a brisk pace and gets the ball to seam around in Indian conditions. Virat Kohli tends to bowl Shami in short spells as a wicket-taking bowler with the new ball. The seamer has been pretty lethal with the old ball as he gets to reverse swing the red cherry in dry sub-continent conditions.

Shami has the best strike rate among the present Indian pace battery and more often than not rewards the team with early wickets in his spells. The Bengal pacer has developed a potent new ball pair with both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav in red ball cricket.

Bowling Record Under Virat Kohli's captaincy at home

Matches 9 Wickets 29 Avg 27.48 Eco 2.98

#11. Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav has been India’s fastest seamer with the red cherry under Virat Kohli’s captaincy. Yadav has the ability to get through the defences of the best batsmen with his menacing pace. A touch erratic at the time, the speed demon has the knack of producing wicket-taking deliveries with his raw pace and seam movement.

The well-built pacer from Vidharbha has worked on improving his channels and looks to be more consistent with his line and length. Umesh bowls well in tandem with fellow Indian pacers Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma and has become a part of the famed Indian pace quartet in Test matches.

Umesh became only the third Indian seamer to bag a ten-wicket haul in a Test match in India when he took a career-best 10/133 against the West Indies in the second Test at Hyderabad.

Bowling Record Under Virat Kohli's captaincy at home

Matches 17 Wickets 46 Avg 30.67 Eco 2.96

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