After a brief ‘lull’ in 2019, Indian captain Virat Kohli was at his prolific best in the second Test at Pune. He slammed a career-best 254 not out in India’s second Test win and this has vaulted him back above the 900-point mark in the ICC rankings for Test batsmen, and put him within touching distance (1 point) of top-ranked Steve Smith. Also, in the match, Kohli became the second captain after MS Dhoni to lead India in 50 Test matches – the perfect stage for his side to clinch their 11th series win at home and create a new home record. It was only fitting that the captain led the way and bagged the man of the match award.
Ever since he has taken over as the captain of the side, Kohli’s consistency has gone through the roof. He walks in a number 4, susses the opposition and then churns out the runs. Hence, after 50 Tests at the helm, the percentage of team runs scored by him is 18.67, which is the best among all the 17 captains at the point of completing 50 Tests.
The next on the list is former England captain Mike Atherton with 16.34% team runs, followed by Allan Border with 16.27% and Ricky Ponting with 16.15%. MS Dhoni, on the other hand, who batted lower down the order scored 10.53% of team runs, which is the lowest among the 17 captains.
Speaking at the end of the match, the Indian captain said that he never looks at any milestones, but goes about his business as a routine affair. “It’s about getting the responsibility back as a captain (on scoring the double-hundred). The mindset is always to help the team and in that process, the big scores come. I think the moment you start thinking about the team, all the pressure goes away. I am at a stage in my career where I am happy to be playing the way I am and contributing for my team. Putting the team in a commanding position is the only goal,” Kohli said after the match.
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