As Virat Kohli steps down, here’s his journey, achievements as captain

The 33-year-old, who has been responsible for producing a crop of fast bowlers who can help pick up 20 wickets in any condition, will now hope to do well with the bat in all three formats of the game.

Announcing his decision on Twitter to step down the Test captaincy, Kohli said: “It has been 7 years of hard work, hard work and tireless work every day to take the team in the right direction. Nothing else is left. Out there. Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as India’s Test captain, it is now. The journey has had many ups and downs but lack of effort Or has never been lacking. Confidence. I have always believed in giving my 120 percent to 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 can’t be dishonest towards my team.”

“I would like to thank BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for so long and more importantly, all those teammates who have felt bad for the team from day one and in any situation. Never give up. You guys have made this journey so memorable and beautiful. To Ravi bhai and the support group who were the engines behind this vehicle that constantly took us up in test cricket, you all have done this Played a big role in bringing the vision to life.At last many thanks to MS Dhoni who believed in me as a captain and found me to be a capable person who could take Indian cricket forward “

Kohli holds the record for most Test matches as India’s Test captain (68) and also holds the record for most Test wins by an Indian captain (40). Only Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh have won more matches as captain in Test cricket than Kohli.

Kohli first led the team in Test cricket in 2014 against Australia. His last match as captain was the Cape Town Test in South Africa, which India lost by seven wickets. It was not going to be easy to fill MS Dhoni’s shoes, but Kohli led by storm, and quickly, he established himself as one of the best thinkers the country has seen in Test cricket.

The leadership brought out the best in Kohli and it saw the batsman register seven double hundreds in the longest format of the game. Kohli also holds the record for most Test centuries (20) as the captain of India.

It was under Kohli’s leadership that India were crowned the number one Test team in the ICC rankings for 42 consecutive months from October 2016 to early March 2020.

Kohli’s decision to step down as Test captain comes a day after India lost the three-match Test series against South Africa on Friday.

Virat Kohli’s biggest win in the longest format came during 2018-19 as India won their maiden Test series Down Under. Under his captaincy, India also reached the final of the World Test Championship (WTC).

It is also important to note that India were almost unbeatable under Kohli in home conditions. Kohli’s team took a 2-1 lead in the four Tests India played against England in England last year and the last Test of the series will be played later this year.

Kohli has registered the most number of Test wins for India as a captain. India’s win against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium last year was Kohli’s 24th Test win at home.

Last year, Kohli stepped down as the T20I captain and was then dropped as the ODI leader as the selectors wanted a captain for the white-ball format.

This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed. Only the title has been changed.