Everyone knows how good Virat Kohli the batter is. But he was just as good a leader—if not one of the finest India has seen.
Kohli instilled the belief in winning a match from any situation. He never saw an option other than a win.
So that hunger to always come out on top took India to new heights in world cricket. India became a dominant and aggressive force under his leadership.
So, how did Kohli fare as captain across formats?
Here’s a rundown on Virat Kohli’s captaincy records across formats.
Virat Kohli Captaincy Record in All Formats
| Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | No Result | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 213 | 137 | 60 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 64.31 |
Kohli had a gradual rise to India’s captaincy across formats. He initially stood in for MS Dhoni before the mantle completely fell on his shoulders.
It was in 2013 when Kohli first led India in an international match. He filled in for Dhoni in an ODI tri-series in the West Indies.
Then, in early 2015, Dhoni handed over the Test reins to Kohli. Two years later, he took over in ODIs and T20Is.
In almost eight years of his reign, India rose from strength to strength. And Kohli’s stature grew as the second-most successful Indian skipper in international cricket.
He captained India in 213 matches across formats and returned with 137 victories. His win percentage of 64.31 is the second-best for an Indian captain with at least 50 matches.
Virat Kohli Captaincy Record in Test Cricket
| Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | No Result | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68 | 40 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 58.82 |
It was in Test cricket where Kohli brought out India’s best. His aggressive strategies saw India rise to No. 1 in the rankings.
And no wonder Kohli is the most successful Indian Test skipper. He surpassed the likes of Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly to clinch the pole position.
The Indian team claimed 40 victories of the 68 Tests he captained. And the draws became minimal, as he aimed for a result at all costs.
The main highlight of Kohli’s Test captaincy was India’s unbeaten dominance at home. And India were equally good on overseas tours.
Kohli guided the Men in Blue to multiple series wins in Sri Lanka and the West Indies. And who can forget the great series heist in Australia in 2018/19?
India also topped the World Test Championship (WTC) table in the first cycle to make the maiden final, though they fell short of winning it.
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Virat Kohli Captaincy Record in ODI Cricket
| Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95 | 65 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 68.42 |
Kohli’s aggressive captaincy flair was visible in ODIs as well. He carried forward the momentum set by Dhoni.
India tasted success in 65 of the 95 matches under his tutelage. The wins put him as the fourth-most successful ODI captain for India.
The only thing Kohli couldn’t achieve was the ICC titles. Despite leading India to the 2017 Champions Trophy final and the 2019 World Cup semifinal, Kohli couldn’t lift an ICC trophy as a captain.
Virat Kohli Captaincy Record in T20I Cricket
| Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 32 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 64.00 |
Kohli’s T20I credentials are no different either. He led the team in 50 T20Is and fetched 32 victories.
The overall wins make him the third-most successful T20I captain for India. And his win percentage of 64.00 is the second-best behind Rohit Sharma.
Kohli is among the few captains to claim a series victory in each of South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia (SENA). And India were almost unbeatable at home.
But Kohli had to deal with a poor performance in the 2021 T20 World Cup. India failed to make it past the group stage, after which he stepped down as the skipper.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma Captaincy Record
Virat Kohli Captaincy Record in IPL
| Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 143 | 68 | 71 | 0 | 4 | 47.55 |
Kohli had a mixed captaincy stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL. And it was by no means entirely his fault.
RCB lacked firepower across all departments. So he had to work with limited resources and constantly changing squads.
Also See: Top Run Scorers for RCB in IPL History
The 2016 season stood out as RCB reached the final under his captaincy, with Kohli himself scoring a record-breaking 973 runs.
Nevertheless, Kohli fetched 68 victories out of the 143 games he led RCB in. He remains the fourth-most successful IPL captain in terms of matches won.
Virat Kohli’s captaincy journey across all formats was nothing short of impactful. While he missed out on major ICC trophies, his legacy remains intact as a leader who brought aggression, fitness, and dominance to Indian cricket like never before.
