On This Day In 2014: Virat Kohli Makes His Debut As Test Captain; Old Video Of Interaction With Rahul Dravid Surfaces
The 36-year-old is the most successful Indian Test captain, eking out 40 wins in 68 Tests until 2022.
It was on December 9, 2014 that Virat Kohli first became the Test captain, with MS Dhoni sitting out of the fixture during the opening Test of the four-game tour of Australia. The right-handed batter had led the way in Adelaide and gave the hosts an almighty scare before losing by 48 runs to concede a 1-0 lead.
Fast forward to the present, the 36-year-old is the most successful Indian Test captain, eking out 40 wins in 68 Tests until 2022. The Delhi-born cricketer also became the first Asian captain to taste a series win in Australia and is one of the few skippers to never lose a home Test series. Furthermore, India lost only two home Tests under Kohli, coming to Australia and England in 2017 and 2021, respectively.
Below is the video of Kohli being interviewed by Rahul Dravid as the Test captain during the Australia tour:
The Adelaide Test in 2014 was fondly remembered for the right-handed batter's twin centuries as he revealed that he wanted India to go for the win, no matter what the target was. The four-Test series ended with Kohli amassing 692 runs against the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon. The veteran also has an excellent record with the bat when captaining India as he averages 54.80 in 68 Tests with 5864 runs.
Virat Kohli stepped down as Test captain in 2022
Kohli stepped down from the role after the series defeat in South Africa in early 2022 and mentioned Ravi Shastri and MS Dhoni in his thank you tweet. Taking to his official handle on X, the 36-year-old wrote:
"It's been 7 years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. I've done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test captain of India, it's now. There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey, but never has there been a lack of effort or lack of belief. I have always believed in giving my 120 per cent in 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 cannot be dishonest to my team."
"I want to thank the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such a long period of time and more importantly to all the team-mates who bought into the vision I had for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation. You guys have made this journey so memorable and beautiful. To Ravi Bhai [Shastri] and the support group who were the engine behind this vehicle that moved us upwards in Test cricket consistently, you all have played a massive role in bringing this vision to life. Lastly, a big thank you to MS Dhoni who believed in me as a captain and found me to be an able individual who could take Indian cricket forward."
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