Virat Kohli not only loves slamming centuries with his bat, he also loves to be the perfect leader. Under his captaincy, India have been at the number 1 position in Tests for some time now. Kohli has led India in 20 and has 12 wins, 6 draws and just 2 losses to his name. Kohli has emerged as the most successful Indian captain with a 60% win record. As India continue to dominate in the ongoing series against England, there’s another record that captain Kohli would look to demolish.
With a win at Mohali in the third Test, Kohli has become the third most successful Indian captain with an unbeaten streak of 16 matches. India haven’t lost a Test match since August 2015. In the 16 matches, India have 12 wins and 4 draws. Former India captain Kapil Dev has an unbeaten streak of 17 matches in 1985-87. India had won 4, drew 12 and tied 1 match under Kapil’s leadership. His streak was broken when India lost to Pakistan by 16 runs. At present, Sunil Gavaskar holds the record of being unbeaten in 18 successive matches. During 1978-81, India had won 6 matches and drew 12. On the Australian tour in 1981, his streak was broken.
Kohli first led India in 2014 against the mighty Australians. India was unlucky to have lost the match but it was evident that Kohli was playing the game to win and not settle for a draw. He registered his first series win against Sri Lanka in their own backyard. India, having lost the first Test, came from behind and clinched the series 2-1. India then went on to crush South Africa 3-0 in a four-match series at home. West Indies was defeated 2-0 in their own backyard in a four-match series and New Zealand was subjected to a 3-0 series whitewash.
India hasn’t lost a single match at home under Kohli’s reign. With two more games against England, Kohli can equal Gavaskar’s record of being unbeaten in 18 consecutive matches. He can even surpass the record as Australia would be touring India, early next year. While he may or may not achieve this milestone, Kohli is definitely one of India’s best skippers.
