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Virat Kohli - the Test captain

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Mar 27, 2016
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Has now captained India for as many test as Imran.

India has now been #1 35 months in a row, which is the longest for any Asian team, and the 4th longest streak over the last 40 years (Windies in the 80s, Australia under Ponting, Australia under Waugh)

He has the 5th best win/loss of all time behind Waugh, Richards, Ponting and Lloyd.

Where does he rank?

Is he actually a great test captain like Waugh and Lloyd?

Or is he closer to a Richards and a Ponting who were the best batsman in a very strong team?


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Best Indian test captain after Ganguly IMO. A huge improvement over Dhoni. He hardly gets any credit for the transformation of Indian bowling attack. The way they kept their focus and looked motivated in this series against WI right after a dissapointing wc campaign (by Indian standard) is really praiseworthy. A beast of a test captain, facts and records don't lie.
 
Second greatest indian captain after ganguly and will surpass him if he wins or draws the next overseas series in newzealand.
Dhoni isnt even good enought to tie kohli's shoelaces.
 
The guy has really transfomed indias fast bowling attack and he rarely gets credit for it.
A great captain,an atg player and an most importantly an alpha male ,sick and tired of betas like sachin,laxman .Its time for the alphas.
 
As the posters above have said, he has done something that no other Indian captain in history could. Transformed India into a potent bowling attack both home and overseas.

His test batting form has been dropping this year though. Hope he can comeback against SA next month.
 
Underrated test captain due to some bad selection he lost matches,I want him to win the test series in New-Zealand, credit to him for setting up pace attack,If India gets good openers and good middle order batsman then this team will become unbeatable .
 
Kohli - Shastri duo have transformed Indian bowling.

Never in our history did we boast of a world class and arguably the best all round bowling line up in the world.

Dhoni was great tactically but under him Indian bowling attack was reduced to defense and containment. Kohli - Shastri's emphasis on using bowling with an attacking mindset has paid huge returns.

Dropping Ashwin-Jadeja for wrist spinners was a big move.
 
Kaptaan has been good to the bowlers. They are the ones winning him matches.

If only he could select right team for right match, his record would be a lot better.
 
What will it take for him to be rated as a test captain ahead of Ganguly? Imran?

Statistically, he will undoubtedly end as the best ever Asian test captain.
 
Kaptaan has been good to the bowlers. They are the ones winning him matches.

If only he could select right team for right match, his record would be a lot better.

The counter argument to that is the only matches he has lost were on low scoring pitches away from home where he lost the toss and had to chase in the 4th innings, and the batsmen including the kaptaan failed.

Which matches could he have won with better team selections? Getting Bumrah and Bhuvi injured by playing jamodi ODIs before the England test series was a bad choice for sure.
 
What will it take for him to be rated as a test captain ahead of Ganguly? Imran?

Statistically, he will undoubtedly end as the best ever Asian test captain.
A win in New Zealand will cement his legacy as the greatest asian captain ever.
No. 1 vs No. 2 team will be one hell of a competition.
 
A great test match captain imo. They are the number 1 team and have been for a number of years. Also played a part in developing some players by backing them and setting a example for them.
 
He has been a good test captain but also had the luxury of playing in the best team in the world currently.

A mentally strong player who inspires his team by performing with the bat but not a great tactician IMO.

Kane Williamson is the best captain in the world presently.
 
the thing is he has had the best bowling attack whereas ganguly had an average bowling attack. However ganguly had a world class batting unit.

kohli, pujara maybe Mayank and Shaw if he reaches his potential. pant is raw.
rahane is good but not a great player.

overall kohli had a stronger team so it's hard to say if he was a better captain than ganguly. ganguly would have definitely won a lot more games with India's current strong bowling attack
 
Hats off to Kohli for another gutsy declaration.

A man who wants to win every match.
 
Bad light forces him to bowl spinners.

He brings debutant Nadeem
Great tactics and confidence shown
 
Will finish as one of the best captains of all time. The way he has transformed this Indian test team and India’s mentality towards fast bowling is remarkable.
 
Fastest to score 5000 test runs as captain

He went past Clive Lloyd and Ricky Ponting to get this record .
 
Greatest Asian Test captain of all time and one of the top 5 players in history already. The scary bit is that he still has 5-6 years left in the tank.

Players like emerge once in 100 years. Elites among the elites.
 
That win percentage only behind Steve Waugh and Ponting, and it's going up. An all time great captain, up there with Waugh, Lloyd and Ponting.
 
Greatest Asian Test captain of all time and one of the top 5 players in history already. The scary bit is that he still has 5-6 years left in the tank.

Players like emerge once in 100 years. Elites among the elites.

It’s posts like these what makes Pak fans detest you :))

Anyways, I honestly believe he’ll be among the top 5 cricketers ever by the time he retires. I just hope he doesn’t get into the injury hassle later in his career much like Sachin.
 
It’s posts like these what makes Pak fans detest you :))

Anyways, I honestly believe he’ll be among the top 5 cricketers ever by the time he retires. I just hope he doesn’t get into the injury hassle later in his career much like Sachin.
Virat is definetly one of the best bats of all time.
But even the english commies lamented his captaincy skills, going as far as they would love him in their team but hate him to be the captain.
 
Virat is definetly one of the best bats of all time.
But even the english commies lamented his captaincy skills, going as far as they would love him in their team but hate him to be the captain.

Results matter in this real world.
 
It’s posts like these what makes Pak fans detest you :))

Anyways, I honestly believe he’ll be among the top 5 cricketers ever by the time he retires. I just hope he doesn’t get into the injury hassle later in his career much like Sachin.

hope he doesn't stick around for too long like tendularkk when he is past his prime. Luckily he is easily the fittest player in the world so he has another good 5 years in him.
 
i am worried india dont have another aggressive attack minded captain like kohli for the future. shaw, gill and the new group look soft.

Fast bowling tradition should be upheld by the future captain of India. I see some captaincy potential in bumrah.
 
i am worried india dont have another aggressive attack minded captain like kohli for the future. shaw, gill and the new group look soft.

Fast bowling tradition should be upheld by the future captain of India. I see some captaincy potential in bumrah.

Fast bowlers rarely made as a captain because of injury can happen anytime.
Ashwin should be the captain
 
7th straight test win if we get this. Can we beat AUS's record ? ;)

Not happening. For that we would need to beat
1. NZ away 2-0
2. Eng at home 5-0
3. Aus away 2-0 in the first 2 tests

The first 2 are possible but difficult. The third one is impossible.
 
Not happening. For that we would need to beat
1. NZ away 2-0
2. Eng at home 5-0
3. Aus away 2-0 in the first 2 tests

The first 2 are possible but difficult. The third one is impossible.

the second one is defintirly happening. we are going to absolutely massacre England and I can't wait to see that.
 
Till Eng series it's possible , after that depends on the momentum and aura this team would have created, let's c!
 
I can see us winning in n.z but n.z in their conditions in a 2 test serious would be difficult. Maybe a draw.

in a 4 test series I definitely think india beats n.z even in n.z
 
NZ will be favorite. Will be an awesome series though.
 
Most Test wins Under Kohli in a calendar year !

2016-9
2018-8
2019-7*
2017-7
2015 -5

Virat Kohli has become the only Indian captain to win 7 consecutive Test matches....
 
Not happening. For that we would need to beat
1. NZ away 2-0
2. Eng at home 5-0
3. Aus away 2-0 in the first 2 tests

The first 2 are possible but difficult. The third one is impossible.

England tour to India is in 2021. So we need to win in NZ and then AUS
 
Not happening. For that we would need to beat
1. NZ away 2-0
2. Eng at home 5-0
3. Aus away 2-0 in the first 2 tests

The first 2 are possible but difficult. The third one is impossible.

I am feeling that we will not lose against NZ.
Expecting draw the series or win.
 
Almost three years after their previous Tests series, India and England will resume their rivalry when the two teams lock horns in a four-match Test series starting February 5. The series will also mark international cricket's comeback to India. The country hasn't hosted an international fixture since January 2020.

The series will also see Indian skipper Virat Kohli making his comeback. The senior batsman had returned home from Australia and missed the final three Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He has already joined Team India's bio-bubble and taken over the team's charge from Ajinkya Rahane, who led the visitors in the final three Tests in Australia.

Set for a comeback, Kohli will eye an elite captaincy record held by former captain MS Dhoni. With 21 wins, Dhoni tops the list of most wins by an Indian captain in the home conditions. Kohli, who led India to a 4-0 win in 2016/17 series versus England, has 20 wins at home. Should India win two Tests in the upcoming four-match series, Kohli will go past Dhoni on the list. Given Team India's dominant run under Kohli, they are highly likely to win the series.

Following Dhoni and Kohli on the list is Mohammed Azharuddin, who captained India to 13 wins at home. Sourav Ganguly comes next with 10 wins. Kohli has already leapfrogged number of legends in just six years. Should he continue as captain for another 5 years, Kohli can finish his career with over 30 wins at home.

With 33 wins in 56 matches, Kohli is already India's most successful Test captain. Dhoni, who led Team India in 60 Tests, finished his career with 27 wins. Ganguly (21), Azharuddin (14) and Sunil Gavaskar (9) sit next on the list.

The much-awaited India-England Test series kicks off on February 5. Chennai will host the first two Tests while Ahmedabad's Motera Stadium will stage the next two Tests. The two teams are also scheduled to play 5 T20Is and 3 ODIs.
 
India's modern-day superstar Virat Kohli has created yet another record on Thursday after Team India secured an astonishing 10-wicket victory over Joe Root's England in the 3rd Day-Night Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The 32-year-old has registered the maximum number of Test wins for India as a skipper on home soil. Thus, Kohli has surpassed Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy record.

In India, while the former captain had 21 wins from 30 matches under his belt in red-ball cricket, Kohli managed to go better off Dhoni at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Kohli has taken 29 Test matches to achieve the historic feat.

Since making his captaincy debut in the longest format of the game in 2014, Kohli has mostly seen success in whichever part he takes the field with the vastly-improved Indian squad.

Kohli has already bagged 35 wins in 59 matches which is the highest number of victories in Tests among Indian captains. In 14 games, he ended up with the losing side while the 14 matches resulted in a draw.

The closest of Kohli among the former Indian skippers is also Dhoni. The Ranchi-born cricketer had 27 victories in 60 Tests. The other renowned leaders of Team India such as Sourav Ganguly and Mohammed Azharuddin had 21 and 14 Test wins respectively.

While playing against England in the four-match Test series, Team India is also chasing a place in the World Test Championship Final. England had given an early bite to Kohli & Co. after a mammoth 227-run win in the first Test in Chennai, but nothing went in Joe Root-led side’s favour since then.

The second Test saw a huge turnaround after the crowd’s return into the stadium. The hosts equaled the series by beating England by 317 runs.

The Kohli-led side gave even a much more strong statement to the visitors on Thursday by taking a 2-1 lead in the four-match series in the newly constructed stadium in Ahmedabad. Team India took just two days to demolish the well-strong English side. Kohli & Co. finished off the match in style under floodlights.

England are officially out of the final spot of the World Test Championship after Thursday’s defeat. However, Australia can get a place in the summit clash to compete against already-qualified New Zealand if Joe Root-led side snatches a victory in the fourth and the final Test in India. The match is scheduled to take place at the same venue from March 4.

https://www.timesnownews.com/sports...est-wins-as-team-india-captain-at-home/725193
 
After 59 Test matches

Most Wins as Captain

38 - Ricky Ponting
35 - Virat Kohli*
27 - Graeme Smith
27 - MS Dhoni
25 - Clive Lloyd
24 - Alastair Cook
20 - Stephen Fleming
 
Most wins as Indian captain in Tests in India:
Virat Kohli - 22 (29 matches)
 
After 59 Test matches

Most Wins as Captain

38 - Ricky Ponting
35 - Virat Kohli*
27 - Graeme Smith
27 - MS Dhoni
25 - Clive Lloyd
24 - Alastair Cook
20 - Stephen Fleming

He will surpass Pontings 38. So he will finish his career as a one of the greatest batters and one of the best test captains.
 
Tactically is poor. But he is a bowlers captain. Performance of bowlers under Kohli has significantly gone better. Dhoni was such a lackluster captain except when spinners are on in spinning conditions. Never seen such a potent bowling unit under any captain before. They are relentless.
 
Don't rate him as LOI captain but he is a good test captain.
 
Most Tests by Indian Captains

60 - Virat Kohli*
60 - MS Dhoni
49 - Sourav Ganguly
47 - M Azharuddin
47 - Sunil Gavaskar
 
Most Test Series Wins as Captain at Home

Virat - 10
Ponting - 10
Andrew Strauss - 9
 
Titan of the game. My favourite cricketer and my favourite sportsmen. Genuinely hope he has 1 more peak with the bat.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kohli’s leadership this test match allowed young guns like Axar, Rishabh and Washie to play with freedom and dominate the game. It takes a special leader to elevate other players around them through body language and passion when their personal performance has been down.</p>— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABdeVilliers17/status/1368148913878929409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kohli’s leadership this test match allowed young guns like Axar, Rishabh and Washie to play with freedom and dominate the game. It takes a special leader to elevate other players around them through body language and passion when their personal performance has been down.</p>— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABdeVilliers17/status/1368148913878929409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Pretty hilarious statement. Wonder what happens with the same guys when playing for RCB.

Looks like AB doing his PR marketing to prolong his IPL career for a good 3-4 years lol.
 
Virat Kohli surpasses Steve Waugh after England series win, matches Ricky Ponting's record

India captain Virat Kohli and records go simultaneously. While the recently concluded home Test series against England may not have seen Kohli's best performance with the bat, it certainly elevated his reputation and stature as India captain in the longest format.

India defeated England by an innings and 25 runs in the 4th Test at the Motera in Ahmedabad to claim the four-match Test series 3-1. This was Kohli's 10th straight Test series win at home.

Doing so, he equaled former Australia captain Ricky Ponting's record of the most consecutive series win at home.

Kohli also surpassed former Australia captain Steve Waugh in an elite list of Test captains. The win in the 4th Test was Kohli's 23rd Test victory at home, and he is now 3rd in the list of captains with the most wins Test wins at home.

Waugh, in his career, had won 22 Tests at home as captain. The only players ahead of Kohli in the list are Ricky Ponting, who had won 29 Tests at home as captain, and Graeme Smith, who had won 30 Tests at home as captain.

Most home wins in Tests as a captain:

Graeme Smith - 30

Ricky Ponting - 29

VIRAT KOHLI- 23*

Steve Waugh - 22

"The comeback in Chennai pleased me the most. The first game was an aberration and England outplayed us. The toss played a crucial role and the bowlers weren't in the contest. We bowled and fielded with more intensity and so the comeback was very heartening. Our bench strength is extremely strong and that's a good sign for Indian cricket," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony after the 4th Test.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...n-matches-ponting-s-home-101615037836682.html
 
The greatest Asian Test captain of all time.

36 Test wins and counting. Incredible.
 
What's the stats for others? Kohli can cross 50 even 60.

Most Test wins as captain:

Graeme Smith - 53
Ricky Ponting - 48
Steve Waugh - 41
Virat Kohli - 36*
Clive Lloyd - 36

You cannot win so many Tests without being a very good captain. He is very likely to overtake Graeme Smith as the most prolific Test captain of all time.

People can discredit his record because of Indian pitches and all that, but the disparity between him and other Asian captains is increasing at a very rapid rate. He is already 9 wins ahead of the second most prolific Asian Test captain (Dhoni, 27 wins).

History will remember Kohli the captain as someone who won almost twice as many matches as the second most prolific Asian Test captain.
 
The GOAT Asian Test captain is on the brink of victory number 38. Simply incredible.

If he can rediscover his form with the bat and have another small purple patch, he will, in my opinion, eclipse Tendulkar as the GOAT Asian cricketer.

His legacy as captain continues to grow bigger and bigger. There is no doubt he will be overtake G. Smith as the most successful Test captain of all time.

He is only 15 Test wins away.
 
India captain Virat Kohli achieved a remarkable milestone on Monday. As India defeated England in the fourth Test by 157 runs at The Oval, he became the Asian captain with most number of wins (6) in SENA countries.

He is already the most successful Indian Test captain, having surpassed MS Dhoni in 2019. Over the course of his captaincy career, Kohli has recorded three Test wins in the UK, two in Australia and one in South Africa. Former Pakistan captains Javed Miadad and Wasim Akram had won four matches each in SENA countries.

Kohli now also holds the record of most Test win by an Asian captain in and against England. With the victory at The Oval on Sunday, Kohli surpassed the likes of Imran Khan, Javed Miadad, Kapil Dev, Misbah-ul-Haq and Wasim Akram to achieve this feat.

Asian Captains with most Test wins in and against England

Virat Kohli 3
Imran Khan 2
Javed Miadad 2
Kapil Dev 2
Misbah-ul-Haq 2
Wasim Akram 2

Team India scripted history on Sunday as they registered first win at The Oval in 50 years. After getting all-out for 191 in the first innings, the visitors bounced back strong posting 466 in the second innings to set a challenging 368-run target for the hosts. In reply, Joe Root & Co were bundled out for 210.

“Well, I think the best thing about both the games has been the character the team has shown. We are not looking to survive in this game, we are here to win. Really proud of the character the team has shown. It's quite relative to what you call flat. The conditions were hot and we knew were in with an opportunity when Jadeja was bowling in the rough. The bowlers were good with the reverse swing today. We believed we could get all 10 wickets, we had the belief,” Kohli told Sky Sports during the post-match presentation.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...-triumph-at-the-oval-101631002984325-amp.html
 
“When a team makes a comeback, winning a game after being the underdogs at a stage, the captain has a huge hand in that. Virat Kohli managed his team brilliantly, he has a mix of youngsters and experienced players, but he managed them all really well. He was not demoralized at any moment of time in this Test, even after being bowled out 191. The captain’s body language is reflected in the team,” he said on his YouTube channel.

Inzamam praised how India came back strong after being bundled out for 191 in the opening day of the Test. Also Read - Ind vs Eng 2021 - Ajinkya Rahane Looks Horribly Out of Nick: Nasser Hussain Points Drawback Ahead of 5th Test

“The way Indan team is playing, especially overseas, the credit should be given to the team. They were all out for 191 in the first innings and then the way they played in the next four days, for that the credit should be given to the team,” he added.

Team India skipper Virat Kohli heaps huge praise on his players’ strong character. Proud Kohli rated the bowling performance of his team amongst the top-three in his captaincy stint so far. A lethal India pace-attack led by Jasprit Bumrah claimed seven wickets on a flat track of the Oval.

“This is among the top three bowling performances I have witnessed as India captain,” Kohli said with a big smile on his face during the presentation ceremony.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket...e-aaqib-javed-speaks-indian-team-s-domination
 
Goat Asian captain , just behind Smith Steve and Ponting. Easily overtake Steve and Ponting.
 
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Kohli has grown into leadership role exponentially in the last couple of years - and proven a lot of people wrong in the process. Me included.

What I like most about him: He has a vision.

He always did - but the strategies/resources took a few years to fully align to it.

Williamson has vision. Smith didn't. Babar doesn't. Hope he decides what he wants the team to be and then build it that way.

Well done to Kohli.
 
As good as Virat Kohli is as a aleader, do not be fooled into not believing that Ravi Shastri has nothing to do with all this.

This new aggressive mindset of Indian cricket is 80% Ravi Shastri enforcing his beliefs through an agreeable Virat Kohli. Everything Shastri stood for while in the commentary box calling Indian cricket for decades, i am seeing it happen in real time in front of my eyes now with Shastri calling the shots in the dressing room.
 
It is incredibly foolish to judge a captain based on win numbers and percentages.

Kohli is a good captain who has raised India's standards on the field but has glaring flaws that keep him from greatness.
 
England vs India: "Long Live Test cricket While We Have Virat Kohli," Says Shane Warne

England vs India: Former Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne stated that Virat Kohli has got the respect of current Indian squad and that is the reason they all want to play for him and follow his lead.

Former Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne said that Virat Kohli has got the respect of the current Indian squad and that is the reason they all want to play for him and follow his lead. The Virat Kohli-led side registered an emphatic 157-run win over England to take a 2-1 lead in the ongoing five-match series. Indian bowlers delivered big on the last day of the fourth Test at the Kennington Oval on Monday as the genius of mercurial Jasprit Bumrah, and all-around performance by Shardul Thakur in the match helped visitors in defeating England by 157 runs to gain a 2-1 in the five-match series.

"They look up to him. He's got the respect of all the players. They back him and they play for him. It's important for a captain that a team plays for you. I think the way Virat conducts himself, we've all got to say, 'Thank You Virat'. The way he led them, he's made them believe; belief is such an important part of sports. Kohli gives his team the belief. Long live Test cricket while we've Virat Kohli," Warne told Sky Sports after the fourth Test concluded.

On the final day of the Oval Test, Kohli had also mocked the Barmy Army by pretending to play the trumpet following Jasprit Bumrah's delivery to dismiss Ollie Pope.

With the conditions good enough for batting, England openers got the hosts off to a decent start, with both scoring fifties, however, Shardul came into the attack and got rid of Burns in his first over of Day 5. Shardul Thakur who was part of the Indian quartet in scoring more than 50 runs in the second innings, also dazzled with the ball as he sent back Joe Root to the pavilion later.

Hosts were still in the game until lunch on Day 5 when Jasprit Bumrah produced a glorious spell to give India a real shot at victory.

India and England will now face off in the fifth and final Test, beginning September 10 at Manchester.

https://sports.ndtv.com/england-vs-india-2021/england-vs-india-virat-kohli-has-got-respect-of-all-his-players-says-shane-warne-2533868
 
As good as Virat Kohli is as a aleader, do not be fooled into not believing that Ravi Shastri has nothing to do with all this.

This new aggressive mindset of Indian cricket is 80% Ravi Shastri enforcing his beliefs through an agreeable Virat Kohli. Everything Shastri stood for while in the commentary box calling Indian cricket for decades, i am seeing it happen in real time in front of my eyes now with Shastri calling the shots in the dressing room.

Agree to a large extent about Shastri. He has also grown from strength to strength. Not easy to lead India as a coach or captain as their every action is under the lens and dissected mercilessly
 
India's overseas Test wins:

Before Kohli: 38 in 82 years
Under Kohli: 16 in 7 years

India in overseas Tests under Virat Kohli:

Matches 36
Wins 16
Defeats 14
Draws 6
 
Under Virat Kohli indian pace battery was one of the best in test cricket history.
 
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