What is Virat Kohli's Captaincy Records in Tests, ODIs, T20Is and IPL

Virat Kohli, the face of Indian cricket, is a brand himself. Owing to his massive records and great stature, he is the best of the best. He is a player who knows how to drive the game, who can adapt according to the situation, and who makes his bat talk. Every match he plays, we always see him igniting heat and aggression on the ground. It’s his attitude that separates him from the rest of the players. He has the caliber to make any bowler look ordinary on any given day. If we look at his career statistics, we will see that he is evidently the greatest of this generation. Interestingly, it’s not just his personal records that speak volumes about him, but also his records as a leader. Virat Kohli’s captaincy record shows us that he is inarguably, one of the finest India has ever produced. His captaincy style is somewhat different from that of other skippers. He has always believed in playing a brand of cricket that was dominant and one that played with aggression.

But how well has Virat Kohli fared as a captain? What is Virat Kohli’s captaincy record, in tests, ODIs, T20s, in the IPL and overall in all formats of the game……let’s find out. 

Virat Kohli as the captain of the Indian Cricket Team:

Virat Kohli had already become one of the the most important and influential players in the Indian dressing room and after MS Dhoni shock retirement from Test Cricket in India’s tour of Australia in 2014-15, it was only one player who could carry on as the skipper for the remaining matches in the test series, and that was Virat Kohli. It was his first experience as India’s full time test captaincy. Dhoni also later stepped down as the team’s T20 and ODI captain after the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup, and the BCCI didn’t have to look long for the Indian Cricket Team’s full time captain across all formats. Virat Kohli was made the Indian Cricket Team captain and changed India’s style of play for the next 7 years. 

How Virat Kohli as captain changed the Indian Cricket Team’s fitness standards:

Virat Kohli was the first Indian captain to imbibe the concept of power training in cricket. That one single step created a lot of power hitters and pace bowlers in India and brought massive changes in training regimes for cricketers all over the country. He set standards for fitness levels as a cricketer and drove a cultural change in how young cricketers look at the importance of fitness in cricket. 

Before Virat’s captaincy era, nobody actually cared about clearing Yo-yo tests, but after Virat’s emphasis on fitness, BCCI made the rule of clearing this test to get selected in the team, hence, everyone started paying more attention to their physical health. It shall be noted that, the only difference between Indian players and Australian players was their level of fitness, but Virat sensed it quite early, and the results were in front of us. 

Virat led the Indian Cricket Team from 2013 to 2022. He was the captain of the Indian team in all three formats, Test, One Day Internationals and T20 Internationals. He replaced MS Dhoni and carried the baton from there on. 

Virat Kohli as India’s Test Captain:

Virat played his first test match as the captain of the Indian Cricket Team on 9th December, 2014 in Border Gavaskar Trophy, Australia. India lost that match by 48 runs. In the span of 8 years, Virat became a visionary captain and never backed away from taking tough calls whenever the situation demanded. Under his captaincy, India played the finals of World Test Champions (WTC) against New Zealand but eventually lost to them by 8 wickets. India was also ranked number 1 team on various occasions under his test tenure.

Virat Kohli’s captaincy record in Test Cricket 

Number of matches	68
matches won at home	24
matches won away from home	15
matches lost	16
win percentage	58.82

Virat Kohli's stint as India's Test captain was nothing short of legendary. He led the Indian Cricket Team in 68 matches, more than any other Indian skipper in Test history, surpassing even MS Dhoni. Under his leadership, India won a remarkable 40 Test matches, boasting the highest success rate of 58.8% among Indian captains in the red-ball format.

With the bat, Kohli was an absolute maestro, averaging a whopping 55.36 as captain and amassing a staggering 5703 runs. At home, he orchestrated 24 Test wins, breaking Dhoni's record. Kohli's knack for converting starts and scoring centuries was evident, hitting up an impressive 20 tons, second only to Graeme Smith's tally as South Africa's Test captain. But perhaps the most astounding feat was Kohli's seven double centuries, the most by any test captain in cricket history. 

Also Read: Most Centuries in Cricket History

He played his Last match as captain on 11 January 2022, immediately after the India team lost a series in South Africa and Rohit Sharma took the duty from there on.

Virat Kohli’s ODI Captaincy Record:

After MS Dhoni’s stepping down as captain, India needed a strong leader that carried the legacy and made India a better team in the 50-over format. Virat Kohli stepped up and actually made India a dominant force in the format. India was one of the best teams in both home and away series and also one of the favourites in the two ICC ODI tournaments he led the team in.

Also Read: Cricket Grounds in India

Kohli’s captaincy record in One Day International (ODI)

Number of Matches Captained	95
Matches Won at Home	24
Matches Won Away from Home	29
Matches Won at Neutral Venues	12
Matches Lost	27
Win Percentage	68.42

Virat Kohli's tenure as India's ODI captain was marked by impressive numbers and memorable performances. Leading the team in 95 ODIs, he secured a remarkable 65 victories, placing him as India's fourth most successful ODI captain.

Kohli's batting might as the skipper was undeniable, scoring 5549 runs at an outstanding batting average of 72.65, making him the second-highest run-scorer for India in ODI after Dhoni. His 21 centuries as the Indian captain set a new benchmark, falling just short of Ricky Ponting's record.

Also Read: Most Runs in Cricket History

Despite his dominant leadership and individual achievements, Kohli's captaincy era was not without its disappointments. The most heartbreaking being India's exit from the 2019 World Cup in the semifinals, following a heart-wrenching defeat to New Zealand. India also failed to lift the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy after facing defeat against arch rivals Pakistan. 

Virat Kohli Captaincy Record as the T20I Captain of India:

Number of matches captained	50
matches won at home	13
matches won away from home	14
matches won on neutral grounds	3
matches lost	16
win percentage	64.58

In 50 matches as the skipper, Virat Kohli led India to victory in 30 encounters, boasting a commendable win rate of 64.58%. Not just his leadership, but his batting was as class as ever, scoring1570 runs, making him India's highest run-scorer in T20Is as a captain and the fourth-highest overall.

Also, Kohli achieved a unique feat by winning T20I series in every SENA country - South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia. His aggressive approach led India to memorable victories, including a 5-0 whitewash in New Zealand and series wins in Australia, England, and South Africa.

Despite his success, Kohli's captaincy journey in T20Is ended on a disappointing note during the 2020 T20 World Cup, where India bowed out in the Super 12 stage after losses to Pakistan and New Zealand. 

Virat Kohli’s captaincy records in all formats of the game:

Though Virat Kohli’s ICC trophies as captain remains at 0 and the highlights of his captaincy career remain mostly disappointing knock outs from important tournaments, these stats don't show the entire picture. As we talked about earlier, Kohli transformed how the Indian team looked at fitness which can inspire a new generation of players to keep fitness as their main focus and do well for the national side. 

Also, Kohli instilled a sense of fearlessness in the minds of all players as created a side that could dominate home and away turfs alike. At many times, he acted as an inspiration and won matches for the team from situations which looked impossible. The India vs Australia Border Gavaskar Test Series 2018-19 victory down under and the Lord’s victory away against England are enough to show how inspiring of a leader he was for the team. 

With a captaincy stint that spanned 213 matches and 135 wins across all formats, Virat Kohli had an impressive win percentage 58.82%.

Virat Kohli stepping down as Indian Captain 

A lot of unnecessary pressure was being put on Kohli, for not winning any title or his team under performing in crucial matches. In a series of surprising turns, Virat Kohli made headlines by stepping down as the Indian Captain in various formats of cricket. It all started with his decision to step down from leading India in T20Is and the IPL after the 2021 T20 World Cup. Following this, the BCCI removed him from the ODI captaincy, and eventually, Virat Kohli stepped down as Test captain as well.

Kohli's decision marked the end of an era in Indian cricket, leaving behind a legacy of leadership and excellence.

Virat Kohli - The RCB Captain:

There is no doubt that Virat Kohli is one of the greatest players in the IPL. And as the only player to play for one single franchise in IPL history, he is an embodiment of loyalty to his team. But, even with all this loyalty and greatness, Virat Kohli has nothing to show for it. He or the Royal Challengers Bangalore team have never lifted the IPL trophy. Appointed as RCB skipper in 2013, Kohli led until 2021 and the biggest achievement they had was reaching the 2016 IPL final. Though it was not about Kohli’s incompetence as RCB captain, but rather their overall team-building,. 

Kohli’s captaincy record in IPL:

Number of matches captained	140
matches won	64
matches lost	69
no result	7
win percentage	45.71

Despite his success in international cricket, leading RCB didn't bring similar glory. Out of 140 matches under his leadership, RCB won 64 and lost 69, with seven ending in no-result.

Kohli's tenure as RCB captain had some remarkable highlights. He became the youngest IPL captain at just 22 years old, showcasing his leadership potential early on. Under his captaincy, RCB reached the finals once in 2016, but unfortunately, they fell short against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Although Kohli remained unstoppable with the bat, even scoring four centuries in a single season, RCB couldn't clinch the IPL trophy during his eight-year captaincy stint.

After a disappointing run of form and relieving his captaincy duties from the national side, Virat stepped down as RCB’s captain during IPL 2021. He told the media that he wanted to manage his workload and needed some space and hence discontinued his role as the skipper.

Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma: Who is better captain?

Rohit Sharma captaining Virat Kohli:

Rohit Sharma was the successor of Virat Kohli in terms of captaincy. Soon after Virat withdrew his name from the role of leading the team, it was Rohit who grabbed the opportunity. 

Rohit had a great record in IPL prior to that. Under his captaincy, his Mumbai Indians won the title 5 times, the most for any captain or team. Due to this reason, he was always in the eyes of selectors as a probable future captain. 

The way he managed his team in IPL was enough to convince the Indian selectors on how he was capable of filling Virat’s shoes.  

But when Rohit was officially handed the role, there was chatter all around about how he would captain Virat. Kudos to Kohli on that note, as he took all that very optimistically. This was evident in ICC World Cup 2023 as well, as Virat always played a supporting role whenever needed. 

It would be unfair if we compared the records of both players as captains, as Virat Kohli has already finished his role while Rohit Sharma is still performing his duties as a leader. 

However, their outlook towards the game can be compared. Virat was a captain who believed in getting revolutionary changes, changes that would help the nation in the next 10–20 years. He usually preferred to stick with the same playing eleven.

Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, believes in making changes in the present time. He believes in giving chances to new players. In the recent test series against England as well, we could see a lot of new players coming up and playing their debut game. This is because, as captain he has an eye for talent and he believes in promoting those players who have a hunger to achieve.

Interestingly, none of them have managed to win an ICC tournament so far. Indian fans will continue to believe that Rohit Sharma could change fortunes.

Also Read: Cricket World Cup Winning Captains

Virat Kohli vs MS Dhoni captaincy record: Who is the better captain?

Dhoni’s record as Indian Cricket Team Captain:

Format	Matches played	Wins	Losses	Draws	Ties	No result
test	60	27	18	15	-	-
ODIs	199	110	74	-	4	11
T20s	72	41	28	-	2	1

Dhoni has been the most successful captain of the Indian team in terms of ICC Tournaments won. He won T20 World Cup 2007, One Day World Cup (2011), and Champions Trophy (2013). 

Apart from all this, his record for bilateral series has been tremendous as well. His win percentage in test cricket was 45%, in ODIs. 55% and in T20s, 58.33%. 

Now, if we compare these stats with that of Virat, the latter proves to be a better captain, since his stats are better. 

However, it won’t be fair to compare both these legends of the game, as they both have done tremendous jobs for the country. One has been highly successful in World Cup matches, and the other has been really solid in Bilateral series. 

Interestingly, both these players give credit to each other for their achievements and Dhoni has played a massive role in Virat’s career, both as a player and a captain. 

Conclusion:

Virat Kohli is truly one of the greatest of the sport. His stats are a testament to whatever hue he has achieved in cricket. But, one place where stats dont do justice to his greatness are the captaincy records. Though he never won a major trophy in his captaincy career, the confidence and the rigour that he led the team with was remarkable and that is enough to say that he was a successful captain of the Indian Cricket Team.

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