Virat Kohli steps down as captain of Test Captain of Indian Team

Virat Kohli

Born: 5 November 1988 (age 33) Delhi, India

International Debut: 18 August 2008 v Sri Lanka

Batting: Right-hand batsman

Bowling: Right-arm medium

Nickname: Cheeku

Height: 5 ft 9 in

Role: Top Order Batsman

Represented: Delhi, India, Royal Challengers Bangalore

Virat Kohli who made his Test debut against West Indies in 2011, Kohli took over the captaincy of the Indian Test side in 2014, led India to memorable series wins on both home and away tours. He is India’s most successful captain in the format. Kohli led India in 68 Tests with 40 wins, 17 losses, and 11 defeats. Kohli scored 5864 runs at an average of 54.80 with 20 centuries and 18 half-centuries, today has finally stepped down as Test Captain of the Indian Cricket Team.

Virat Kohli steps down

“It’s been 7 years of hard work, toil, and relentless perseverance every day to take the team in the right direction. I’ve done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it’s now. There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey, but never has there been a lack of effort or lack of belief. I have always believed in giving my 120 percent in everything I do, and if I can’t do that, I know it’s not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team,” Kohli tweeted.

He also added “I want to thank the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such a long period of time and more importantly to all the teammates who bought into the vision I had for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation. You guys have made this journey so memorable and beautiful. To Ravi Bhai and the support group who were the engine behind this vehicle that moved us upwards in Test Cricket consistently, you all have played a massive role in bringing this vision to life. Lastly, a big thank you to MS Dhoni who believed in me as a captain and found me to be an able individual who could take Indian Cricket forward” and thanked BCCI, MS Dhoni and his former coach Ravi Shastri.

Kohli had last year stepped down as the T20I captain, he had been replaced by Rohit Sharma as the limited-overs captain of the team ahead of India’s tour of South Africa. After India lost the three-match Test series against South Africa on Friday, Kohli decided to step down as Test Team captain.

Following this, the BCCI congratulated Kohli and said that he has been “the most successful captain” of the team. “BCCI congratulates #TeamIndia captain @imVkohli for his admirable leadership qualities that took the Test team to unprecedented heights. He led India in 68 matches and has been the most successful captain with 40 wins (sic),” BCCI wrote on Twitter.

Milestones reached by Virat Kohli as skipper in Test Cricket

Virat Kolhi has the record of having the highest ICC rating points (922) in the ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen.
Virat Kohli scored six double centuries as a captain in test matches. He surpassed Cricket legend Brian Lara, who had five double centuries as a test captain.
Virat Kohli has the most number of 150+ scores as captain in Tests – 9 times.
India beat New Zealand by 372 runs under Virat Kohli’s captaincy which is the biggest win in terms of runs in the Indian test history.
Virat Kohli is the first Indian captain in history to win two Boxing Day Test matches. (AUS vs IND – Melbourne Cricket Ground; SA vs IND at Centurion 2021)
Virat Kohli is the only batsman in history to average more than 50 in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is simultaneously
Virat Kohli is the fastest in the world to reach 15,000 international runs