Virat Kohli 2nd India captain after MS Dhoni to lead in 50 Tests
India vs South Africa, 2nd Test: Virat Kohli went past Sourav Ganguly's tally of 49 Tests as captain when he walked out for the toss at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Thursday.
HIGHLIGHTS
India vs South Africa, 2nd Test: Virat Kohli went past Sourav Ganguly's tally of 49 Tests as captain when he walked out for the toss at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Thursday.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Virat Kohli leads India in his 50th Test in Pune
- He has gone past Sourav Ganguly on the list of most Tests as captain for India
- MS Dhoni leads the list with 60 Tests as captain
Virat Kohli became the 2nd Indian after MS Dhoni to lead in 50 Tests when he walked out for the toss for the 2nd Test of a 3-match series against South Africa in Pune on Thursday.
In August, Virat Kohli became the most successful Test captain in the history of Indian cricket during the tour of the West Indies. Before the Pune Test, Virat Kohli led India in 49 Tests and won 29, lost 10 and drew 10.
In 60 Tests as captain, MS Dhoni won 27 Tests and lost 18 while 15 ended in draws. Virat Kohli had stood in for MS Dhoni in the Adelaide Test of 2014 and started with twin hundreds in a thrilling match which India lost eventually.
After MS Dhoni's shock decision to retire from Tests mid-way through the series Down Under, Virat Kohli was appointed full-time Test skipper.
Virat Kohli has blossomed as a Test batsman during his tenure as captain. He scored double hundreds in 4 successive series and is the only captain to hit 6 double hundreds in Test cricket.
Kohli helped India reclaim the top spot in Test cricket soon after taking charge. However, questions have been raised on Virat Kohli's tactics and team selection overseas.
Under Kohli, India lost Test series in South Africa and England but he made history by leading India to triumph in the 4-Test series in Australia in 2018-19. Speaking to the media on the eve of the Test, Virat Kohli said he was lucky to play all this cricket for India.
"I feel I am lucky enough to be in this position. I am grateful that I have been able to play so many games for India, let alone captain so many games.
"It is a nice little landmark but the focus is to win as many Test matches as possible and just win every game we can.
Stats and numbers don't matter to me but when the team recognizes these little things, it means something to me as a player. "I'm grateful for whatever has happened in my career so far," he said.
