In numbers: Virat Kohli's reign as India's Test captain

Virat Kohli, who announced his exit as India's Test captain on Saturday, has now become India's most successful captain in the traditional format and at the international level, he is only behind other notable cricketers like Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh.

In his reign, India won 40 matches (out of 68), most for an Indian captain, and 13 more than even M S Dhoni, who led India to two world cup victories.

Kohli has captained India in 25 series and emerged victorious in 18 of them, losing six and a draw.

Arguably the biggest ambassador of the five-day game, Kohli took India to new heights in his tenure which saw the team become a force to reckon with in all conditions.

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Kohli led India to the top of the world rankings and during his tenure, the team recorded memorable series wins in England and Australia.

He is the fourth most successful captain in the history of Test cricket (who have led in at least 20 Tests) in terms of wins behind Graeme Smith (53 wins in 109 matches) Steve Waugh (41 wins in 57 games) and Ricky Ponting (48 in 77 games).

A formidable record at home

While the victories overseas are hailed as Kohli's most remarkable achievements, his record at home is impeccable. Under him, India has lost only two matches at home in the 11 Test series. India has not only managed to win but they have consistently remained dominant, highlighted by zero series defeat at home.

Away from home

Kohli, who became the first Asian captain to win a series in Australia, pips Saurav Ganguly to register 16 wins in Test matches outside India. The team has beat Sri Lanka in 2017, Australia in 2018-19, West Indies (twice) and most recently is leading 2-1 against England, and the last match in the series is yet to be played.

Also read: Virat Kohli leaves behind great legacy as Test captain

Under the batter, India has also won seven Tests in SENA countries, more than doubling the previous record of three for an Indian skipper.

As a batter, in figures, Kohli has managed 20 centuries and 18 fifties. He has scored 5,864 runs and averaged 54.80 as a skipper, according to ESPNcricinfo.

His record of seven double-centuries in Tests is also reportedly highest for a batter as captain.

In addition to his personal and team records, bowlers have also had a blast under Kohli. India also gathered a formidable pace attack under his tenure and spinners have not been left behind either (Ashwin has 293 wickets in 55 matches under him). Altogether, six bowlers have reportedly picked over 100 wickets under Kohli.

Ashwin took to Twitter to say, "Cricket captains will always be spoken about with respect to their records and the kind of triumphs they managed, but your legacy as a captain will stand for the kind of benchmarks you have set. There will be people who will talk about wins in Australia, England, Sl etc etc,"

"Wins are just a result and the seeds are always sown well before the harvest! The seeds you managed to sow is the kind of standard you set for yourself and hence set the expectations straight with the rest of us," the off-spinner said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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