Kohli retires not just as a central force but India's greatest Test captain

New Delhi: Virat Kohli's retirement announcement created quite the stir on Monday, even if it did feel like coming to some. Over the past few days, as TimesofIndia.com had reported, the right-hander had hinted at stepping away in Australia. Yet, he harboured hopes of leading in England with Rohit Sharma stepping down a couple of days ago. When that bid was turned down, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) opting for Shubman Gill, the writing was on the wall."As I step away from this format, it’s not easy — but it feels right. I’ve given it everything I had, and it’s given me back so much more than I could’ve hoped for," wrote 36-year-old Kohli on Instagram.

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"I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile. #269, signing off," he added.

With Kohli retiring, India lost not just a mainstay at No. 4 spot - a position that had Sachin Tendulkar first and Kohli next for over three decades - but one of the batting forces.Sure, his powers were on the decline in the last couple of years, but his overall tally of 9,230 runs puts him in fourth place among India's highest Test scorers. The list is helmed by Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs), Rahul Dravid (13,265 runs) and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122 runs).Above and beyond the pure run-scoring, Kohli's leadership skills is another aspect that will be sorely missed. He might not have led the team since 2022, but his presence, animated gestures and pumped up energy could not be ignored. Even in what turned out to be his last Test in Sydney, Kohli led the lines with Rohit Sharma not in the playing XI and Jasprit Bumrah off the field due to injury.

Kohli’s relentless and assertive leadership, propelled India to become the top-ranked Test team. When India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2018-19, Kohli became the first Asian captain to record a series win Down under. That was followed by a 2-1 series lead in England, which eventually finished 2-2 after a COVID-19 break.Beyond the passion and intensity, the statistics also reveal a story that aligns with what’s visible — Kohli was undeniably the best Indian captain and stood out among his peers.

As captain (2014-2022), Kohli racked up numbers that make him India's most successful Test captain. He led India in 68 matches, winning 40, losing 17 and drawing 11. Under him, India had a winning rate of 58.8% . Among Indian captains who led in at least 10 matches, that is the best number. Behind Kohli are Rohit Sharma (50%), MS Dhoni (45%), Sourav Ganguly (43%) and Rahul Dravid (32%).

In terms of absolute numbers, India triumphed in 40 matches with Kohli wearing the captaincy armband. It was followed by Dhoni (27), Ganguly (21), Mohammad Azharuddin (14) and Rohit Sharma (12).Even at a global stage, Kohli's leadership numbers match up to the greats of the game. Of captains with at least 50 Test matches, only seven have a win percentage above 50%. Besides Kohli, this list features Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh, Hansie Cronje, Michael Vaughan, Sir Viv Richards, and Mark Taylor.If you zoom in to his records, Kohli also led India to most matches won at home. He played a crucial role in India's unbeaten streak at home that ran from 2012 until 2024.

Kohli-led India triumphed in 24 Tests of 31 played on home soil, only fewer than Smith's South Africa (30 wins in 53) and Ponting (29 wins in 39).Among Indians, MS Dhoni had won 21 home Tests ahead of Azharuddin (13) and Ganguly, Rohit (10).Runs alongside captaincy armbandAnother challenging aspect of a Test captain is to keep the flow of runs going. Even if they wear the captain's armband, the runs or wickets column cannot dry up. That is a hallmark of great players who become even greater leaders. And Kohli ticked both boxes during his captaincy reign.Despite the extra pressure, Kohli was the highest run scorer among the Indian Test captains. He scored 5864 runs as India Test captain, including 20 centuries and 18 fifties at an average of 54.80. His highest Test score - 254 against South Africa - came when he was the skipper.

It is worth highlighting that 63% of Kohli's career Test runs came when he was captain of the Indian cricket team.Behind him in the list stand Dhoni (3454 runs), Sunil Gavaskar (3449 runs), Azharuddin (2856 runs) and Ganguly (2561). When looked at it from a batting average perspective, Kohli, once again, leads the charts followed by Tendulkar (51.35), Gavaskar (50.72), Dravid (44.51) and Azharuddin (43.93).Once again, when pitted against captains from all over the world, Kohli was right up there. The 36-year-old scored 20 centuries as Test captain, which is the second-most after Graeme Smith (28).

He also scored seven double centuries - most among all captains. His 5864 Test runs as captain is the fourth-highest for any player, behind Smith (8659 runs), Border (6623) and Ponting (6542).Among Indian captains, Kohli scored the most runs on home soil. His 2907 runs from 31 matches, at an average of 67.60, is more than Gavaskar (2426), Dhoni (1863), MAK Pataudi (1481) and Azharuddin (1339).As Kohli walks off into the sunset, India will be poorer at No. 4, with the runs on the scorecard, the charged up attitude and the leadership, even if he had let go of the armband three years ago.