Virat Kohli bids adieu as India’s most successful Test captain

New Delhi, May 12: Virat Kohli’s legacy in Test cricket will be followed for generations despite his immediate retirement from the format on Monday. The Indian cricket stalwart moulded himself as a run machine after going through thick and thin with the Men in Blue.

The Delhi boy, who joined the team as a talented youngster, went on to become a legend of the game with his formidable attitude. Kohli made his India debut in 2008 in the ODI format, followed by his T20I debut in 2010, but it was not until 2011 that he made his Test debut for the country. Kohli became a regular feature in India’s Test side since making his debut and showed early signs of a stellar career in his fourth Test against West Indies at Wankhede Stadium in 2011. In the match, he struck his maiden Test half-century, followed by his second one in the second innings of the match.

In the 2012 Test series against Australia, Kohli fully announced himself as an all-format player with his maiden Test century in Adelaide. It was just the beginning of a bright career that would rule Indian cricket for more than a decade to follow. Kohli’s dominance continued in red-ball cricket, and he was appointed India’s Test captain following MS Dhoni’s sudden retirement from the format during the series in Australia. He wasn’t hesitant to lead the side and played a knock of 147 on his Test captaincy debut. In the years to follow, the right-handed maestro led India with pride in his favourite format. He established himself as India’s most successful captain with 40 wins in 68 matches. He was only behind Steve Waugh (41), Ricky Ponting (48) and Graeme Smith (53) to have more wins as Test captains.

Under Kohli’s leadership, India secured its first-ever away Border-Gavaskar Trophy win in the 2018–19 series. He also captained India to victory in all 11 home Test series during his tenure. As Test captain, Kohli maintained an impressive batting average of 54.80, amassing 5,864 runs. His highest score while leading the side was an unbeaten 254 against South Africa in Pune in 2019. Overall, the 36-year-old will culminate his Test career with 9230 runs in 123 matches at an impressive average of 46.85 with 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries.