Remarkable milestones of Team India under Virat Kohli in Tests
What's the story
Veteran Indian Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket with immediate effect on May 12. Apart from being a prolific batter, Kohli bowed out as India's most successful captain in the format. Under his leadership, India became the top-ranked Test side and registered several ground-breaking victories overseas. Here are the record-breaking moments of India's Test side with Kohli at the helm.
Series win
India's first Test series win in SL since 1993
Kohli took over the reins of Team India from MS Dhoni during the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. Although he led in two Tests, his first full series as India's full-time captain was in Sri Lanka in 2015. India lost the opening Test but bounced back to win the series 2-1. Kohli helped India win their first Test series in SL since 1993.
Number one
Number one side in Test cricket
Over a year later, India became the top-ranked side in Test cricket. This came following India's 2-0 Test series win in West Indies. Notably, India won 12 Tests and lost just one in the 2016-17 season. The run saw India dominate at home. The Kohli-led side remained the world number one for 42 successive months, India's longest streak in this regard.
Australia
India's first Test series win in Australia
The following two years saw India claim memorable Test wins overseas. One of their greatest triumphs came in 2019. A ferocious Team India, under Kohli, beat Australia 2-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. Nearly all news publications had a picture of Kohli lifting the coveted trophy in Sydney. He became the first Asian captain to win a Test series in Australia after all.
Day-Night Test
India win their first Day-Night Test
It was under Kohli that India won the first Day-Night Test they ever featured in. In 2019, India beat Bangladesh by an innings and 46 runs under the lights at Eden Gardens. The social media was abuzz with sights of India's pace trio handing body blows to Bangladesh. The latter also scored a century, with Ishant Sharma taking nine wickets in the match.
Home wins
Most successive Test series wins at home
In 2019, India routed South Africa 3-0 in the three-match Test series at home. This marked India's 11th consecutive Test series win at home, dating back to 2013. As per Cricbuzz, the Kohli-led India broke Australia's record of 10 such wins (1994-2000 and 2004-2008). Notably, India stretched these series wins to 18 before losing to New Zealand last year.
Records
Other ground-breaking records
In 2021, India registered their third-ever Test win at Lord's. In the same series, India recorded their second-ever Test win at The Oval, after 50 years. Kohli became the Indian captain with most Test wins in England (3). Later that year, India became the third Test-playing nation to defeat SA in Centurion. Kohli became the only Indian captain with multiple Test wins in SA.