Virat Kohli to take shot at equalling MS Dhoni’s captaincy record in 1st Test versus West Indies

Under MS Dhoni India started winning big at home and went on to scale the summit of Test rankings for the first time. While the team suffered a series of losses outside the sub-continent under Dhoni, an impeccable home record saw him become the most successful Indian Test captain with 27 Test wins.

The journey of Team India’s ascent to the top of the pile in Test cricket started with the turn of the century. Sourav Ganguly’s iron fisted leadership helped India conquer its demons as they won Test matches outside the sub-continent. The trend continued under Rahul Dravid as India won its first Test match in South Africa and were victorious in West Indies and England after a gap of decades. Under MS Dhoni India started winning big at home and went on to scale the summit of Test rankings for the first time. While the team suffered a series of losses outside the sub-continent under Dhoni, an impeccable home record saw him become the most successful Indian Test captain with 27 Test wins.

MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli of India look on in the field during day one of the Third Test match between Australia and India at Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. (Getty Images)

India under his successor Virat Kohli has become a formidable force both at home and away. Boosted by the nation’s best ever fast bowling unit and boasting of match winners like Ashwin, Jadeja Pujara and the captain himself, India as a Test team is in the middle of a purple patch.

The direct result of this can be seen in Kohli’s Test captaincy record. With 26 wins from 46 matches in charge, Kohli features among the top echelons of captains with the highest win percentage in Test cricket. When he gets on to the field at the North Sound on Thursday, Kohli will be eyeing to equal Dhoni’s historic feat and become the joint most successful Test captain ever for India.

It is a record which Kohli will soon create and, India would hope, take to the next level. But more that the record of victories, what Kohli would want to achieve is complete global domination, which doesn’t look unachievable given the talent pool that BCCI has managed to create in the country.