Virat Kohli vs MS Dhoni - comparing their captaincy stats in Tests

Ending the suspense which had built up over the last couple of days, Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday, May 12. The 36-year-old took to his official Instagram handle and shared a post to confirm his decision. The former India captain admitted that the decision wasn't an easy one, but added that he felt it was the right one.

Kohli ended up playing 123 Test matches in his 14-year-long journey in red-ball cricket, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, with the aid of 30 hundreds and 31 half-centuries. For most of his Test career, he averaged in the 50s. Post 2020, though, his red-ball fortunes experienced a dramatic downfall, which saw his eventual average falling well below 50.

Kohli and MS Dhoni are Team India's two most successful captains in terms of Test wins. In the wake of the former's Test retirement, we compare the captaincy stats of the two legends in the red-ball format.

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Virat Kohli vs MS Dhoni - Who has more Test wins as captain and a better win percentage?

Kohli tops the list of Indian captains with most Test wins. He led the nation in 68 Tests out of which India won as many as 40 and lost only 17. The 11 other matches ended in a draw. Of his 40 wins, 24 came at home and 16 away. Kohli ended his tenure as Test captain with an impressive win percentage of 58.82.

Player	Matches	Wins	Losses	Draws	Win %
Virat Kohli	68	40	17	11	58.82
MS Dhoni	60	27	18	15	45

(Kohli vs Dhoni captaincy stats)

Dhoni led India in 60 Tests out of which the team won 27 and lost 18. The 15 other matches ended in a draw. Of Dhoni's 27 Test triumphs as captain, 21 came at home and six away. The former Team India stumped ended his tenure as Test leader with a win percentage of 45.

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Virat Kohli vs MS Dhoni - Who has a better record as Test captain in SENA nations?

The greatness of a leader in cricket is often gauged by how good a record he has as captain in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries. Kohli led Team India to victory in seven Test matches in SENA nations.

Under the 36-year-old, India won two Tests in Australia during the 2018-19 tour. The visitors also went on to create history, registering their maiden Test series win Down Under. With Kohli at the helm, India also won three Tests in England and two in South Africa between 2018 and 2021. They, however, fell short of clinching a Test series win in the two nations.

With Dhoni as captain, India won only three Tests in SENA countries. Team India beat New Zealand by 10 wickets in Hamilton (March 2009), South Africa by 87 runs in Durban (December 2010) and England by 95 runs at Lord's (2014).

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Virat Kohli vs MS Dhoni - Who has a better record with the bat as Test captain?

In 68 Tests that Kohli led India, the prolific batter notched up 5,864 runs at an average of 54.80, with 20 hundreds and 18 half-centuries, with a best of 254*. As non-captain, the right-handed batter scored 3,366 runs in 55 matches at an average of 37.40, with 10 hundreds and 13 half-centuries.

Player	Matches	Runs	HS	Average	100s	50s
Virat Kohli	68	5,864	254*	54.80	20	18
MS Dhoni	60	3,454	224	40.63	5	24

(Kohli vs Dhoni batting stats as captain)

Looking at Dhoni's batting numbers as captain, he notched up 3,454 runs in 60 matches at an average of 40.63, with five hundreds and 24 half-centuries and a best of 224. As non-captain, Dhoni played 30 Test matches in which he scored 1,422 runs at an average of 33.06, with one hundred and nine half-centuries. It would be fair to conclude that Kohli outperformed Dhoni as Test leader.