Virat Kohli stands tall as one of India’s most spirited and influential cricket captains, especially in Test cricket. Known for his aggressive energy and relentless drive, Kohli transformed the Indian team into a fearless unit that thrived under pressure. His leadership was synonymous with passion, discipline, and a never-back-down attitude that pushed the team to some of its greatest red-ball achievements.
Though Kohli voluntarily stepped down from T20I and Test captaincy, he was later removed from his ODI leadership role, signaling a changing of the guard in Indian cricket.
“𝑽𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒕 𝑲𝒐𝒉𝒍𝒊’𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕,” 𝒂 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝑲𝒐𝒉𝒍𝒊’𝒔 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒖𝒓𝒆.
Across formats, Kohli’s numbers speak volumes. He captained India in 68 Test matches, winning 40 of them – the most by any Indian captain in history. In ODIs, he led the team to 65 wins in 95 games, and in T20Is, India clinched 30 wins from 50 matches under his leadership.
Let’s revisit the three defining defeats that contributed to the end of Kohli’s captaincy era.
#3 – T20 World Cup 2021: Exit Before Knockouts
Kohli had already announced that the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE would be his last tournament as T20I captain. Expectations were high, but India couldn’t progress beyond the group stage and, more painfully, endured their first-ever World Cup defeat to Pakistan. The crushing blow and group stage exit marked the end of Kohli’s journey in T20 leadership, with Rohit Sharma taking over the reins afterward.
#2 – WTC Final 2021: Missed Glory in Southampton
India had dominated the inaugural World Test Championship cycle, but their campaign ended in heartbreak. Facing New Zealand in the WTC final at The Rose Bowl in Southampton, Kohli’s team fell short. Despite favorable conditions for bowling and some solid spells, the Indian batters failed to rise to the occasion. New Zealand secured an 8-wicket victory, dashing India’s hopes of a historic Test title.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔,” 𝑲𝒐𝒉𝒍𝒊 𝒂𝒅𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕-𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉, 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔.
#1 – South Africa Tour 2021–22: Series Slips Away
India started their tour of South Africa with a commanding 113-run win in Centurion, looking poised to make history. But the momentum didn’t last. South Africa bounced back with consecutive 7-wicket wins in Johannesburg and Cape Town, taking the series 2-1. The disappointment was too much, and Kohli stepped down as Test captain the very next day, ending a remarkable chapter in Indian cricket.
Rohit Sharma Takes the Helm
After Kohli’s departure, Rohit Sharma was handed the captaincy across all three formats. While his leadership has had its highlights, especially in white-ball cricket, his Test record – 12 wins in 24 matches – still falls short of Kohli’s extraordinary legacy.
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