When Virat Kohli shattered records on his Test captaincy debut
What's the story
Virat Kohli's reported Test retirement is the hottest news in the cricketing circles lately.
The star batter has been a force to reckon with in the format, though his numbers in the last few years have been paltry.
Meanwhile, Kohli is still the most successful Indian captain in Tests.
He, in fact, almost powered India to a historic win on his Test captaincy debut.
Here we revisit that historic game against Australia.
Recall
Captaincy against the odds
On December 9, 2014, Kohli made his debut as India's Test captain in the Adelaide Test against Australia.
He took over the reins from MS Dhoni, who was unavailable due to an injury.
The match proved to be a turning point for Indian cricket as Kohli's audacious and fearless leadership style came to the fore.
Notably, Kohli's preceding Test assignment before this match was against England away from Home.
He could only yield 134 runs at 13.4 in that series.
Bold performance
Kohli's fearless leadership shone in Adelaide
Kohli's aggressive leadership was visible right from the start of his captaincy.
Responding to Australia's daunting first-innings score of 517/7 declared, he scored a stunning 115 off 184 balls as India finished at 444/10.
The star batter brilliantly tackled the thunderbolts from Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, and Peter Siddle.
Even when Australia set a tough 364-run target in their fourth innings, Kohli once again accepted the challenge.
Brilliance
Kohli almost scripted history
The fourth innings started on Day 5 as many expected India to go for a draw.
However, Kohli had different plans. He arrived to bat with the scorecard reading 57/2.
The Indian ace joined forces with Murali Vijay (99) as the duo added 185 runs. At 242/2, India were on course to script history.
However, a sudden collapse meant the visitors were folded for 315.
Kohli, who made 141 off 175 balls, went down as the seventh batter.
Leadership impact
Kohli's captaincy legacy and aggressive mindset
Despite India losing that match by 48 runs, it highlighted Kohli's fearless batting and his relentless attitude.
Notably, India were aiming to accomplish the second-largest target by a visiting team in Australia.
This Test set the tone for his legacy as a leader, where India played with an aggressive mindset under him.
His love for the game, high fitness standards, and relentless pursuit of excellence made the Indian team one of the most competitive sides in the world.
Feats
Kohli scripted this record
Notably, Kohli became the first Indian captain to slam twin tons on their Test captaincy debut.
Kohli also became the second Indian to smash twin hundreds in a Test in Australia after Vijay Hazare.
He finished that series with 692 runs in four games at 86.50, the third-most for an Indian in a Test series.
The tally includes four tons, the joint-most for an Indian in a Test series.
Information
Dhoni hung up his boots after third Test
Notably, Dhoni announced his retirement from Tests after the third Test of this series. Hence, Kohli played the final game in Sydney as India's full-time Test skipper. Though India lost that series 1-2, it marked the start of a golden era for the Indian team.
Captaincy record
Kohli's impressive record as Test captain
Kohli overall led India in 68 Tests, winning 40 and losing 17.
His win percentage of 58.82% is still the highest for any Indian Test captain, who led in at least 10 Tests.
Some of the memorable victories under his captaincy include a historic series win in Australia in the 2018-19 season (India's first-ever Test series win on Australian soil) and a dominating 2-2 draw in the 2021-22 away series against England.