The selection committee’s decision to replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni with Virat Kohli as skipper of the Indian Test team earned negative reactions from the orthodox cricketing fans who believed that it was an extremely risky decision which could backfire.
IPL franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore, who were considered as one of the strongest outfits in the competition, failed to win the trophy even once under Kohli’s leadership.
The 28-year-old was termed as “wet behind the ears” by certain pundits who suspected that his captaincy skills were still unproven in the longer format of the game. Many fans were worried that the burden of captaincy could even have a negative impact on his batting performances.
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Virat Kohli has proven his critics wrong and sent out a strong message of intent by leading India to 13 victories in just 21 matches. Virat has instilled a winning mentality ever since he started captaining the Indian team.
His penchant for picking five bowlers in overseas tours has strengthened the fragile bowling attack. The Indian pace bowlers Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav have been extremely efficient under his leadership.
Kohli joined the illustrious list of captains who have scored three double centuries in a year. His Test average of 65.50 as a captain is second only to Don Bradman’s 101.51 among captains with 2000-plus Test runs.
We, here at Sportskeeda, decided to re-live India’s top 5 victories under his leadership in Test cricket -
#1 India vs West Indies - Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, August 2016
(India won by 237 runs)
A Virat Kohli-led India created history by winning 2 consecutive Test matches for the first time ever in a series against West Indies in front of their home crowd. Jason Holder, the West Indian captain, won the toss and decided to bowl first hoping to pick up early wickets.
The Men in Blue accumulated 353 runs at a run rate of 2.72 per over which was possible mainly because of sublime batting performances by Ravichandran Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha. The Indians were in deep trouble after losing 5 wickets with just 126 runs on the board.
Ashwin and Saha performed remarkably under pressure scoring 118 and 104 runs respectively which shattered the confidence of the bowlers.
Kraigg Brathwaite and Leon Johnson threatened to take the game away from the visitors stitching up a 50 run opening partnership. Sadly, after their dismissals, the West Indians could garner only 225 runs in response in spite of a fighting 48 by Marlon Samuels.
The Indian batsmen came out to bat in the second innings with an attacking mindset. With a lead of 128 from the first innings, the team declared after scoring 217 runs at an amazing run rate of 4.52 runs per over setting a daunting target of 346.
The West Indian batsmen were unable to handle the pressure and sacrificed their wickets in search of quick runs. A battling fifty by Darren Bravo failed to save their blushes as they crumbled for a measly 108 runs in just 47.3 overs.
#2 India vs South Africa - Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, December 2015
(India won by 337 runs)
India’s 337 run victory over South Africa at the Feroz Shah Kotla marked their biggest ever win in Tests in terms of runs. Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat first hoping to capitalise on the hard pitch and post a huge score.
The Indians huffed and puffed to a total of 334 runs in 117.5 overs. Ajinkya Rahane scored a resolute 127 refusing to surrender even when wickets kept tumbling at the other end. His maiden century on Indian soil along with a fluent 56 by Ravichandran Ashwin helped the Indians get to an above-par total.
In response, the South Africans meekly surrendered scoring just 121 runs which handed Kohli’s side a 213 run lead.
India declared their second innings at a total of 267 for the loss of 5 wickets. Ajinkya Rahane scored a second consecutive century while Commander Virat Kohli decided to join the party scoring 88 runs at a strike rate of 53.33 smashing 10 boundaries.
The Proteas were handed a colossal 481 runs to chase in their second innings which was the 5th highest target set by India in their Test cricket history.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s 5 wicket haul crippled the Proteas who collapsed for just 143.
#3 India vs Sri Lanka - Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo, August-September 2015
(India won by 117 runs)
The victory over Sri Lanka in this Test match earned Virat Kohli his first ever series win as a captain. Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews elected to bowl first hoping to exploit the grass on the wicket.
The Indian opening partnership had been changed for the third time in as many Tests with Cheteshwar Pujara and K.L Rahul entrusted with the responsibility for this match. Rahul’s early dismissal forced the Indian team to promote Ajinkya Rahane up the order.
Sadly, the Indian batting unit was unable to negotiate the swinging conditions and surrendered their wickets easily. Dhammika Prasad and Herath were the main bowlers for the Lankans picking up 4 and 3 wickets respectively.
Excellent batting performances by Cheteshwara Pujara and Amit Mishra down the order helped the Indians post a score of 312 runs in tough batting conditions.
Captain Kohli demanded a similar response from his pace bowlers and they promptly responded to his call, restricting the Lankans to just 201 runs in 52.2 overs. Ishant Sharma led from the front for the Men in Blue snapping up 5 quick wickets which did his reputation as one of India’s top Test bowlers no harm.
In the second innings, Prasad and experienced pace bowler, Nuwan Pradeep, continued to trouble the Indian batsmen with their pace and accuracy, picking up 4 wickets apiece. India were skittled out for a score of 274 runs in 76 overs.
The Sri Lankans failed to chase down the target of 386 set by the Indians in spite of a valiant knock of 110 by captain Angelo Mathews. Ravichandran Ashwin’s variations earned him 4 wickets while Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav chipped in with 3, and 2 wickets respectively.
#4 India vs England - Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, December 2016
(India won by an innings and 36 runs)
India’s victory at the Wankhede stadium against England in the ongoing Test series surely deserves a mention in the list. Their victory by an innings and 36 runs helped them take an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the 5-Test series.
Ashwin’s bowling figures of 12 wickets for 167 runs were the best match figures by a spinner at the Wankhede.
The English captain Alastair Cook elected to bat first hoping to pile up runs on a good surface. Debutant Keaton Jennings smashed 112 runs in 219 deliveries while Moeen Ali and Jos Buttler contributed with 50 and 76 runs, respectively, which helped them post a total of 400 runs in the 1st innings.
Indian captain, Virat Kohli’s knock of 235 runs in 340 balls took the game away from the visitors after opener Murali Vijay put on a patient 136. Jayant Yadav’s 104 helped the Indians pile up a massive score of 631 runs at an impressive run rate of 3.45 runs per over.
India’s lead of 231 runs forced the English batsmen on the backfoot. Victory was no longer an option and a draw was possible only if the Englishmen blocked out 139 overs which was a tough task in itself.
Jennings, the first innings hero, was castled early by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. A battling 77 by Joe Root was the highlight of the English innings as they collapsed for just 195 in 55.3 overs which resulted in a loss by an innings and 36 runs.
#5 India vs New Zealand - Eden Gardens, Kolkata, October 2016
(India won by 178 runs)
In a do or die game for the Kiwis, they were without regular skipper Kane Williamson. The Ross Taylor-led New Zealand restricted India to a score of 316 runs at the end of the first innings with Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Wriddhiman Saha scoring magnificent half-centuries for the hosts.
New Zealand scored just 204 runs in response due to some excellent bowling performances from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami who picked up 5 and 3 wickets respectively.
Having earned a lead of 112 runs already, Virat Kohli encouraged his batsmen to bat aggressively and set up a huge chase for the Kiwis. The Indian batting lineup responded to his call and scored 263 runs at an impressive run rate of 3.42 runs per over.
Tom Latham and Martin Guptill began proceedings on a positive note with a first wicket partnership of 50 runs in pursuit of the 376 run target set by the Indians. Ravichandran Ashwin delivered the goods for India yet again, trapping Guptill leg before, which sucked the momentum out of the innings.
After his departure, none of the other Kiwi batsmen were able to convert their starts into something concrete and sheepishly surrendered for a paltry 197 runs.
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