Kohli's captaincy redefines India's success in Tests
3 months ago | 41 Views
On this day in 2019, Virat Kohli recorded his 28th Test win as captain, surpassing MS Dhoni to become the Indian captain with the most Test wins following a series whitewash on the tour of the West Indies. Kohli’s tenure as Test captain is widely regarded as one of India’s most successful periods in the red-ball format, marked by dominance at home and a consistent threat overseas. The victory over West Indies in Jamaica solidified Kohli's position, with the numbers to back it up.
The match as it happened
In the first innings of the Test, being played at Sabina Park in Kingston, India posted a formidable score of 416 on a challenging wicket, thanks to a century from Hanuma Vihari. Kohli himself scored 76 runs, while Mayank Agarwal and Ishant Sharma added valuable half-centuries.
In response, West Indies crumbled to 117 in their first innings, highlighted by Jasprit Bumrah’s sensational hat-trick. Bumrah took 6 wickets in the innings, further establishing himself as a great option in the longer format for India. His performance led Kohli to describe him as the 'most complete bowler in world cricket'.
Despite the option to enforce the follow-on, Kohli chose to bat again, aiming to completely bat the Windies out of the game. Although the top order struggled, Ajinkya Rahane scored a half-century, and Vihari added another fifty to his earlier century.
With a target of 468 and seven sessions left to play, West Indies were never in contention as India demolished them in the second innings to claim a 257-run win, as they cruised to a 2-0 series whitewash. Kohli’s 28th Test win placed him at the top of a list of Indian cricket’s greatest captains, a record he would extend to 40 Test wins before eventually passing the baton to Rohit Sharma.
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