Virat Kohli's top 3 knocks as Test captain

Virat Kohli loves to take centre-stage. He is always the main man on the biggest occasion. Irrespective of whether you love or hate him, you cannot ignore his presence on the field - both as a batsman and as a leader.

His biggest legacy remains going for the win, even if that means losing a few games along the way. His Test captaincy record speaks for himself - 40 wins, 17 losses and 11 draws from 68 Tests. He is arguably the most successful Asian captain to date.

India's most successful Test captain Virat Kohli took to social media to announce his step-down captaincy on 15 January. He particularly thanked former Indian coach Ravi Shastri and former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in his thank-you note.

On that note, let's have a look at Kohli's top 3 knocks where he led from the front and played a captain's innings.

#3 141 vs Australia, Adelaide 2014

The then Indian captain MS Dhoni was ruled out of the Test due to a thumb injury. It was Virat Kohli's captaincy debut in the longest format of the game.

Kohli scored a quality 115 in the first innings against a fired-up Australian pace attack comprising of Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle, with Nathan Lyon as the lead spinner. India were set a target of 364 runs on the final day of the Test.

Kohli went on to play what would be one of the best Test innings by an Indian on Australian soil. He batted with immense control against their lead spinner Nathan Lyon who turned it square on a Day 5 wicket.

Kohli hit 16 fours and one six - as he played with a strike rate of 81. He nearly took the team home along with Murali Vijay (99). However, Vijay's dismissal meant wickets started tumbling at the other end. The onus was on Kohli to finish the job. He ended up hitting a half-tracker straight to the boundary where Mitchell Marsh took the catch.

India may have lost the Test. But it made Kohli's mindset of always going for a win pretty clear to the world. He made a statement that the Indian team would always take on the opposition even while playing overseas.

#2 149 vs England, Edgbaston 2018

Virat Kohli scored 134 runs in five Tests at an average of 13.40 on his first tour of England in 2014. Over the next few years, he scored runs wherever he played but people wondered if Kohli could redeem his reputation in England.

Cut to Edgbaston 2018. Virat's first Test tour to England as captain of the Indian cricket team. England won the toss and scored 287 runs in the first innings. In response, Indian openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan gave the team a decent start as they added 50 runs for the first wicket in just 12 overs. The fall of two quick wickets meant Kohli walked in at 54/2 in the 15th over.

He exhibited a masterclass in batting and it was a sight to behold for ages. Although he had his fair share of luck at the start of the innings, he stuck around till the very end and did not throw his wicket away when Anderson was bowling an impeccable spell.

Kohli added 92 runs for the final 2 wickets, ensuring that the first innings trail was reduced to 13. India eventually lost the Test but his monumental efforts in that game are remembered even today.

#1 153 vs South Africa, Centurion 2018

Virat Kohli loves batting in South Africa. He remains the only Asian Test batsman with a minimum of 500 runs to average above 50 in the rainbow nation. His best Test knock in South Africa came in the 2nd Test at Centurion in 2018.

South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first. They put 335 runs on the board in the first innings. Kohli walked in to bat at 28/2 in the 10th over after Dhawan and Pujara were dismissed early. He was up against a world-class pace quartet of Morkel, Philander, Rabada and Ngidi.

Virat scored his runs at a very brisk strike rate of 70.50, with 15 fours along the way. Wickets kept falling at the other end, but nothing moved his sheer determination and focus to reduce the lead and stay alive in the Test match.

He ended up scoring nearly 50% team runs. However, India ended up losing this Test as South Africa took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the Test series.