3 major defeats that ended Virat Kohli’s captaincy

3 unfortunate defeats that led to Virat Kohli losing his captaincy | CricTracker. (Photo source: X)

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.

2. WTC Final 2021

The first-ever edition of the World Test Championship was held from 2019 to 2021. In the summit clash, India locked horns with New Zealand at The Rose Bowl in Southampton in June. The Kiwis won the match by eight wickets, chasing down a 140-run target in the fourth innings. The Indian bowlers fared well in favourable conditions, but the batting let them down.

Gaining a very narrow lead, the Indian bowlers were unable to defend the target, and as a result, Kane Williamson became the first captain to lift the WTC mace. While a win would have been a perfect end to Virat’s legacy in Test cricket, it wasn’t meant to be, as the opposition had surely gotten the better of the Indian team in the 2021 finale.

1. India’s tour of South Africa 2021-2022

India had a fantastic start to their tour of South Africa in 2021-2022. They won the first Test in Centurion by 113 runs. However, in the next two Test matches in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa registered identical seven-wicket wins. Kohli announced his decision to step down as captain in the longest format one day after the end of the series, marking the end of an era.

Following the same, Rohit took over as the leader of Indian team across all formats of the game. In Tests, Rohit had a decent captaincy stint, but nowhere close to what Kohli had done during his days. The Mumbai-born captained India in 24 Tests, winning 12 of them. Rohit had a bitter end to his Test career, as a disappointing home series loss against New Zealand followed by a shambolic run during the Australia tour forced him to retire.

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