Ace Indian batter and one of the most successful captains in the world, Virat Kohli dropped a bombshell as he quit as India’s Test captain on January 15, 2022, in a heartfelt post on social media. He captained India from 2014-2022 in Test format.
He led India in 68 Test matches and won 40 of them. This included Test series wins in West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Australia while remaining unbeaten at home in 11 Test series without losing or drawing a single series. He led India to their maiden Test series win in Australia in 2018-19 and helped the team to a 2-1 series lead against England with one Test left to play.
Kohli captained India in 25 series. He won 18, lost six, and drew one (a washout against Bangladesh). India under Kohli at home won nine Tests by an innings and nine Tests by over 150 runs.
He also led India to 16 Test wins away from home- the most by an Indian captain. In SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries, Kohli has won seven tests.
“Always a proud family”, Virat Kohli’s brother and sister laud him after he quits Test captaincy
With the bat, Kohli excelled as well, scoring 5864 runs and averaging 54.80 as captain. Kohli's seven double-centuries as captain is also the highest in Tests. Kohli finishes his captaincy stint with 41 international centuries across formats - joint-highest with Ricky Ponting.
As he brings to an end, a wonderful captaincy journey, which puts him on par with some of the best leaders in the cricket world, Kohli received rich tributes from the cricket fraternity and three Indian legends in Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and VVS Laxman took to Twitter and lauded him for his achievements as a captain.
Sachin Tendulkar lauded Kohli and tweeted: “Congratulations on a successful stint as a captain, @imVkohli. You always gave 100% for the team and you always will. Wishing you all the very best for the future.”
“Many Congratulations #ViratKohli on an outstanding career as India's Test Captain. Stats don't lie & he was not only the most successful Indian Test Captain but one of the most successful in the world. Can be very proud @imVkohli & looking forward to watch u dominate with the bat,” Sehwag posted on Twitter.
Adding to the accolades, current NCA head VVS Laxman tweeted: “Congratulations, Virat, on a stellar stint as Test captain. In an era dominated by white-ball cricket, it's great to see how passionate you are about the longest format. You have led by example, played the game with great intensity & valued preparation in pursuit of excellence”
