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Virat Kohli is one of the most inspirational captains to have led the Indian team, especially in the red-ball format. He was known for his fiery and never-say-die attitude. Kohli’s energy would rub off on his teammates, and some of India’s finest results in Tests came under his astute leadership. The talismanic batter relinquished T20I and Test captaincy, while he was removed from his leadership role in 50-over cricket soon after.
Kohli was appointed captain of the Indian team in Test cricket in 2014 after the abrupt retirement of MS Dhoni from the longest format of the game midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014-15. In 2017, Kohli took charge as India’s captain across formats.
Under his reign, India won 40 out of 68 Test matches, making the Delhi-born the most successful Indian skipper in red-ball internationals. Meanwhile, in 95 ODIs, the legendary cricketer helped the Men in Blue win 65 matches. In T20Is, the Asian giants won 30 out of the 50 matches they have played under the star cricketer’s captaincy.
Here’s a look at 3 major defeats that ended Virat Kohli’s captaincy:
3. T20 World Cup 2021
Kohli had announced his decision to step down as India’s T20I captain before the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE. The Men in Blue failed to reach the knockout stage, and they also suffered their first-ever defeat to arch-rivals Pakistan in a World Cup. After the marquee event, Kohli had relinquished the captaincy in the shortest format of the game. Thereon, it was Rohit Sharma who took the job in full-time capacity.
Rohit had a fair share of success as a T20I captain, leading the team to semi-finals of the next T20 World Cup, and coming even better in 2024 to lift the prized silverware, as India defeated South Africa in the grand finale at Barbados. Both Kohli and Rohit said goodbye to the shortest format of the game after this memorable triumph.
