List of records held by captain Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli added another feather to his illustrious cap by becoming the first Indian captain to win a bilateral ODI series in Australia. Team India captain scripted several new records during the side's tour of Australia that drew curtains on Friday. He has led India well in the last couple of seasons and here we present the list of records held by captain Kohli.
Kohli's side first to win bilateral ODI series in Australia
Kohli became the first Indian skipper to win a bilateral ODI series in Australia. Prior to this, India had won Champions of Cricket (1985) and the ODI tri-series (2008) in Australia. Kohli also became the first skipper not to lose a series across formats in Australia. Earlier, he had led India to their maiden Test series win (2-1) in Australia.
Kohli first Asian skipper to win Test series Down Under
The Test series victory in Australia made Kohli the first Asian captain to win in Australia. During the series India notched a maiden victory in a Boxing Day Test. They became the first Asian side to enforce a follow-on (in the Sydney Test) in Australia.
India's performances in bilateral ODI series deciders since 2017
Since 2017, under Kohli's captaincy, the 3-match series was the fourth instance when a bilateral ODI series was decided in the final game. India beat West Indies by a 3-1 margin twice (2017 and 2018). The team also beat New Zealand 2-1 (2017). India's only loss came against England in 2018. India beat Sri Lanka 2-1 (2017), but it was under Rohit Sharma's leadership
Kohli had led India to a special feat against SA
Last year, the Indian cricket team thrashed South Africa in their own backyard in the ODI series. India won the six-match ODI series by a 5-1 margin under Kohli's captaincy. It was the first ever bilateral series win by India on South African soil. Kohli scored 558 runs in the series. The last time, SA lost 1-5 at home was against Australia in 2001-02.
Kohli helped India win four overseas Tests last year
When India beat Australia at the MCG Test last month, Kohli equalled Sourav Ganguly's record of most wins in Tests outside India. Dada had won 11 Tests in 28 games. India went on to register four Test wins outside the sub-continent in 2018. The wins came in Johannesburg, Trent Bridge, Adelaide and Melbourne. It was the most by India in a calendar year.
Kohli is one of India's best ODI captains
Kohli will be leading India for the first time in the ICC World Cup this year. His ODI record as skipper is fantastic. Out of 60 matches, Kohli has guided India to 44 wins. He has the best win percentage (75.42) as compared to any other Indian skippers (minimum 20-plus matches) in the history of the game.
Why India are one of the favorites for World Cup?
India go into the World Cup as one of the favorites. Kohli's brilliance as a leader would help their cause. The overseas ODI series win in South Africa and now in Australia will give India a lot of confidence. India tour New Zealand next.
Kohli's batting records as a captain
Kohli's 558 ODI runs, against South Africa in 2018, is the most by a skipper in a bilateral event. Kohli's 453 runs against West Indies last year, is the most by an Indian captain in a bilateral series in India. He has the most number of double hundreds as India's Test captain. He is India's leading Test run-scorer as a skipper.
