DYK: Virat Kohli boasts highest batting average as Test captain
What's the story
Virat Kohli has officially announced his retirement from Test cricket. The batting maestro, who has ruled Indian cricket for more than a decade, bids adieu to the format days before the England tour. Despite a slump in recent years, he is one of the most decorated Test players in India's history. Meanwhile, he was even a greater force to reckon with as India's Test captain. His batting numbers while leading the team are jaw-dropping. Here we decode the same.
Numbers
Highest batting average as captain
As per ESPNcricinfo, Kohli scored 5,864 runs as Team India captain across 113 Test innings at 54.80. No other captain with at least 5,000 runs averages even 52 in this regard. Australian talisman Ricky Ponting (51.51) trails Kohli on this list. Meanwhile, Kohli stands fourth on the list of batters with the most Test runs while leading the team.
Leading from the front
Second-most Test tons as captain
Kohli also has the record for most Test centuries as Indian captain (20), way ahead of second-placed Sunil Gavaskar (11). On the overall list, the star batter is only second to Graeme Smith, who breached the three-figure mark 25 times as captain. Notably, Kohli scored hundreds in each of his first three innings as Test captain and that too on Australian soil.
Information
10 Test hundreds as captain in away Tests
10 of Kohli's 20 Test tons while leading India came in away matches. Graeme Smith (17) is the only batter with more hundreds away from home. With five centuries, Mohammad Azharuddin is the next Indian on this list.
200s
Most Test double-tons as captain
Kohli smashed seven double-tons in his illustrious Test career and each of them has come while leading the team. No other batter has even six double-tons as a designated captain. West Indies legend Brian Lara follows Kohli on this list with five such scores. Coming to Kohli's compatriots, no other Indian has even multiple Test double-tons as a captain. Kohli overall registered nine 150-plus scores as captain in the longest format, again the most for any batter.
Unmatched success
Fourth-most Test wins as captain
Kohli, who resigned as Test captain in 2022, remains India's most successful Test captain. He took India to 40 wins out of 68 Tests with an incredible winning percentage of 58.82%. Many had backed him to break Graeme Smith's record for most Test wins as captain (53). Australian talismans Ponting (48) and Steve Waugh (41) are the only other captains with more Test triumphs than Kohli.