Being the captain of an international team has always been the most intimidating job for a cricketer. And if that team is from India, the pressure rises to a few more levels. Not many can handle the enormous number of responsibilities that come added with the role of the Indian skipper. Even the great Sachin Tendulkar could not deal with it and thus even the smallest of the success of a captain gets appreciated to the fullest in India.

However, as the saying goes&#8211; &#8220;A captain is as successful as his team&#8221;, one must understand that a captain attains half of his success through the players he chooses. When Sourav Ganguly took over the reins of Indian cricket in turbulent times, he selected youngsters like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, among others, who all became legends of Indian cricket.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni did the same with the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/teams-do-not-want-ravindra-jadeja-to-be-playing-in-indias-t20-world-cup-side-graeme-swann/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ravindra Jadeja</a>, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. And now, when the baton has been passed to Kohli, he is following on this basic tradition of captaincy and showing faith in some of the best players of this time to achieve success.

In the following list, we take a look at five such players who Kohli have entrusted the most and who somehow owe their success to him:

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-395619" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-and-KL-Rahul.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli and KL Rahul" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-395619" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)</figcaption>

KL Rahul, who scored his first international century in Kohli&#8217;s first match as captain, is one cricketer whose career graph goes in sync with Kohli&#8217;s captaincy. Rahul was left by the Royal Challengers Bangalore after 2013, but the Kohli-led side bought him back fir the 2016 edition, his second-only IPL as an international cricketer, highlighting the faith that Kohli puts on him.

Also, it was Kohli who understood the technicalities in Rahul&#8217;s style of play and asked him to open the innings in his first match as a captain where he scored the ton. However, after announcing his arrival at the international stage, Rahul somehow got lost for the maximum period of 2017 and 2018 but that did not deter Kohli from withdrawing his faith.

Kohli extended his trust on the 27-year-old cricketer and decided to hand him the much-debated No.4 batting position ahead of the ICC <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/icc-u19-world-cup-2020-day-16-round-up-statistical-highlights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Cup</a> last year. But as fate had it, Shikhar Dhawan&#8217;s untimely injury gave Rahul his favourite position back in the middle of the tournament. His scores at the top were 57, 30, 48, 0, 77, 111, and 1 and the Karnataka cricketer has not looked back.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-382063" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Kuldeep-Yadav.jpg" alt="Kuldeep Yadav" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-382063" class="wp-caption-text">Kuldeep Yadav. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Kuldeep Yadav had won Virat Kohli&#8217;s confidence on his debut match itself. He picked up four wickets against a challenging Australian batting line up in the first innings where he had also become India&#8217;s first-ever chinaman spinner. His performance in the red-ball cricket did not get unnoticed and Kohli soon handed him his limited-overs debut.

Under Kohli, Kuldeep, alongside Yuzvendra Chahal, emerged as India&#8217;s premier spinners and sidelined the famed duo of <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/everyone-gives-you-an-antisocial-look-when-you-sneeze-or-cough-ravichandran-ashwin-mulls-over-the-outbreak-of-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ravichandran Ashwin</a> and Ravindra Jadeja. Such was the brilliance of Kuldeep that he finished 2017 as the fourth-highest wicket-taker for India in ODI despite making his debut in the seventh month of the year.

His best, though, came in the calendar year of 2018. The decision to put his trust on the young shoulder of the bowler from Uttar Pradesh paid hefty dividends to Kohli. With 45 ODI wickets, Kuldeep ended as the second-highest wicket-taker in the format that year. He played the least number of matches among the top five and was only three wickets shy of table-topper Rashid Khan. Kuldeep was also India&#8217;s highest T20I wicket-taker of the year with 21 scalps.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-368999" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-and-Yuzvendra-Chahal.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli and Yuzvendra Chahal" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-368999" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli and Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

The partner-in-crime of Kuldeep Yadav and the other face of &#8216;Kulcha&#8217;, Yuzvendra Chahal is another find of Virat Kohli who has won him many matches. If Kuldeep emerged as his wicket-taker, Chahal was the one who restricted the run-flow of the opponent batsmen.

Despite the sorrow fate of RCB in IPL, Chahal is among the few cricketers who have been a constant face in the team since 2014 and it should be enough to understand his position before Kohli. Also, it has not been one-way traffic as he has paid the captain back with all his might.

Under Kohli&#8217;s leadership, the 29-year-old became the first Indian bowler to take a fifer in T20I cricket when he returned with the figure of 6/25 against <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/lungi-ngidi-reveals-he-lost-4-5-kilos-due-to-immense-training-ahead-of-odi-series-against-england/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">England </a>in February 2017. Much like Kuldeep, he, too, wrecked the most in the calendar year of 2018. He was India&#8217;s second-highest wicket-taker that year in both ODI and T20I.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-370051" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Wriddhiman-Saha-1.jpg" alt="Wriddhiman Saha" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-370051" class="wp-caption-text">Wriddhiman Saha. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Wriddhiman Saha has always been considered as a better wicketkeeper than Mahendra Singh Dhoni but was overshadowed by the gigantic presence of the latter. However, since the retirement of the former Indian captain, Virat Kohli did not look at any other option and made Saha the regular gloveman of the Test squad.

Saha has not disappointed his captain and has emerged as possibly the best wicketkeeper of his time. In just 37 matches he has affected 103 dismissals which include 92 catches and 11 stumpings. According to the cricket analysis website Cricviz, the Bengal cricketer has the best fielding ability among the active wicketkeepers with an ability range of +5.7.

The same website also states that the 34-year-old has the best catching ability. He collects 96.9% of the deliveries that come his way after taking the edge of a willow. Despite being dropped from the squad following a serious injury at the beginning of 2018 and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/if-you-feel-rishabh-pant-is-a-match-winner-why-dont-you-play-him-virender-sehwag-slams-indian-team-management/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rishabh Pant</a> making a successful case for the role, Kohli entrusted his old horse and like always he paid back with his dedicated performances.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-381357" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-and-Mohammed-Shami.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-381357" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

A cricketer found by Mahendra Singh Dhoni but groomed by Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami has been a story of resurrection. He made his debut in 2013 against Pakistan but was immediately sidelined by the brilliance of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the express pace of Umesh Yadav. However, he did not shy away and kept himself in contention for a place in the playing 11.

While <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/bhuvneshwar-kumar-undergoes-sports-hernia-surgery-in-london-to-undergo-rehabilitation-at-nca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bhuvneshwar</a> was expected to lead the Indian attack in the 2015 World Cup alongside Umesh, fate had a different hero. An injury for the former saw Shami emerged as India&#8217;s best wicket-taking option. But Shami&#8217;s career was also disgraced by repetitive injuries and off-field scandals which threatened to cut short his playing days.

But a change in captaincy bought Shami back into the frame. After making a comeback into the Test squad in 2018, Shami took 47 wickets and finished the year as the second-highest Indian wicket-taker. Despite excelling in red-ball cricket, he had to wait to get back his chances in limited-overs. &#8216;

But Virat Kohli did not make him wait too long and drafted him into the Blues ahead of the World Cup last year and the 29-year-old ended 2019 as the highest international wicket-taker in ODI with 42 scalps.

Being the captain of an international team has always been the most intimidating job for a cricketer. And if that team is from India, the pressure rises to a few more levels. Not many can handle the enormous number of responsibilities that come added with the role of the Indian skipper. Even the great Sachin Tendulkar could not deal with it and thus even the smallest of the success of a captain gets appreciated to the fullest in India.
However, as the saying goes– “A captain is as successful as his team”, one must understand that a captain attains half of his success through the players he chooses. When Sourav Ganguly took over the reins of Indian cricket in turbulent times, he selected youngsters like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, among others, who all became legends of Indian cricket.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni did the same with the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/teams-do-not-want-ravindra-jadeja-to-be-playing-in-indias-t20-world-cup-side-graeme-swann/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ravindra Jadeja</a>, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. And now, when the baton has been passed to Kohli, he is following on this basic tradition of captaincy and showing faith in some of the best players of this time to achieve success.
In the following list, we take a look at five such players who Kohli have entrusted the most and who somehow owe their success to him:
<h3>1. KL Rahul</h3>
<figure id="attachment_395619" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-395619" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-395619" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-and-KL-Rahul.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli and KL Rahul" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-395619" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
KL Rahul, who scored his first international century in Kohli’s first match as captain, is one cricketer whose career graph goes in sync with Kohli’s captaincy. Rahul was left by the Royal Challengers Bangalore after 2013, but the Kohli-led side bought him back fir the 2016 edition, his second-only IPL as an international cricketer, highlighting the faith that Kohli puts on him.
Also, it was Kohli who understood the technicalities in Rahul’s style of play and asked him to open the innings in his first match as a captain where he scored the ton. However, after announcing his arrival at the international stage, Rahul somehow got lost for the maximum period of 2017 and 2018 but that did not deter Kohli from withdrawing his faith.
Kohli extended his trust on the 27-year-old cricketer and decided to hand him the much-debated No.4 batting position ahead of the ICC <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/icc-u19-world-cup-2020-day-16-round-up-statistical-highlights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Cup</a> last year. But as fate had it, Shikhar Dhawan’s untimely injury gave Rahul his favourite position back in the middle of the tournament. His scores at the top were 57, 30, 48, 0, 77, 111, and 1 and the Karnataka cricketer has not looked back.

<h3>2. Kuldeep Yadav</h3>
<figure id="attachment_382063" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-382063" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-382063" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Kuldeep-Yadav.jpg" alt="Kuldeep Yadav" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-382063" class="wp-caption-text">Kuldeep Yadav. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Kuldeep Yadav had won Virat Kohli’s confidence on his debut match itself. He picked up four wickets against a challenging Australian batting line up in the first innings where he had also become India’s first-ever chinaman spinner. His performance in the red-ball cricket did not get unnoticed and Kohli soon handed him his limited-overs debut.
Under Kohli, Kuldeep, alongside Yuzvendra Chahal, emerged as India’s premier spinners and sidelined the famed duo of <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/everyone-gives-you-an-antisocial-look-when-you-sneeze-or-cough-ravichandran-ashwin-mulls-over-the-outbreak-of-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ravichandran Ashwin</a> and Ravindra Jadeja. Such was the brilliance of Kuldeep that he finished 2017 as the fourth-highest wicket-taker for India in ODI despite making his debut in the seventh month of the year.
His best, though, came in the calendar year of 2018. The decision to put his trust on the young shoulder of the bowler from Uttar Pradesh paid hefty dividends to Kohli. With 45 ODI wickets, Kuldeep ended as the second-highest wicket-taker in the format that year. He played the least number of matches among the top five and was only three wickets shy of table-topper Rashid Khan. Kuldeep was also India’s highest T20I wicket-taker of the year with 21 scalps.

<h3>3. Yuzvendra Chahal</h3>
<figure id="attachment_368999" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-368999" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-368999" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-and-Yuzvendra-Chahal.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli and Yuzvendra Chahal" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-368999" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli and Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
The partner-in-crime of Kuldeep Yadav and the other face of ‘Kulcha’, Yuzvendra Chahal is another find of Virat Kohli who has won him many matches. If Kuldeep emerged as his wicket-taker, Chahal was the one who restricted the run-flow of the opponent batsmen.
Despite the sorrow fate of RCB in IPL, Chahal is among the few cricketers who have been a constant face in the team since 2014 and it should be enough to understand his position before Kohli. Also, it has not been one-way traffic as he has paid the captain back with all his might.
Under Kohli’s leadership, the 29-year-old became the first Indian bowler to take a fifer in T20I cricket when he returned with the figure of 6/25 against <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/lungi-ngidi-reveals-he-lost-4-5-kilos-due-to-immense-training-ahead-of-odi-series-against-england/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">England </a>in February 2017. Much like Kuldeep, he, too, wrecked the most in the calendar year of 2018. He was India’s second-highest wicket-taker that year in both ODI and T20I.

<h3>4. Wriddhiman Saha</h3>
<figure id="attachment_370051" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-370051" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-370051" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Wriddhiman-Saha-1.jpg" alt="Wriddhiman Saha" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-370051" class="wp-caption-text">Wriddhiman Saha. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Wriddhiman Saha has always been considered as a better wicketkeeper than Mahendra Singh Dhoni but was overshadowed by the gigantic presence of the latter. However, since the retirement of the former Indian captain, Virat Kohli did not look at any other option and made Saha the regular gloveman of the Test squad.
Saha has not disappointed his captain and has emerged as possibly the best wicketkeeper of his time. In just 37 matches he has affected 103 dismissals which include 92 catches and 11 stumpings. According to the cricket analysis website Cricviz, the Bengal cricketer has the best fielding ability among the active wicketkeepers with an ability range of +5.7.
The same website also states that the 34-year-old has the best catching ability. He collects 96.9% of the deliveries that come his way after taking the edge of a willow. Despite being dropped from the squad following a serious injury at the beginning of 2018 and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/if-you-feel-rishabh-pant-is-a-match-winner-why-dont-you-play-him-virender-sehwag-slams-indian-team-management/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rishabh Pant</a> making a successful case for the role, Kohli entrusted his old horse and like always he paid back with his dedicated performances.

<h3>5. Mohammed Shami</h3>
<figure id="attachment_381357" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-381357" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-381357" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-and-Mohammed-Shami.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-381357" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
A cricketer found by Mahendra Singh Dhoni but groomed by Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami has been a story of resurrection. He made his debut in 2013 against Pakistan but was immediately sidelined by the brilliance of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the express pace of Umesh Yadav. However, he did not shy away and kept himself in contention for a place in the playing 11.
While <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/bhuvneshwar-kumar-undergoes-sports-hernia-surgery-in-london-to-undergo-rehabilitation-at-nca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bhuvneshwar</a> was expected to lead the Indian attack in the 2015 World Cup alongside Umesh, fate had a different hero. An injury for the former saw Shami emerged as India’s best wicket-taking option. But Shami’s career was also disgraced by repetitive injuries and off-field scandals which threatened to cut short his playing days.
But a change in captaincy bought Shami back into the frame. After making a comeback into the Test squad in 2018, Shami took 47 wickets and finished the year as the second-highest Indian wicket-taker. Despite excelling in red-ball cricket, he had to wait to get back his chances in limited-overs. ‘
But Virat Kohli did not make him wait too long and drafted him into the Blues ahead of the World Cup last year and the 29-year-old ended 2019 as the highest international wicket-taker in ODI with 42 scalps.

Being the captain of an international team has always been the most intimidating job for a cricketer. And if that team is from India, the pressure rises to a few more levels. Not many can handle the enormous number of responsibilities that come added with the role of the Indian skipper. Even the great Sachin Tendulkar could not deal with it and thus even the smallest of the success of a captain gets appreciated to the fullest in India.
However, as the saying goes&#8211; &#8220;A captain is as successful as his team&#8221;, one must understand that a captain attains half of his success through the players he chooses. When Sourav Ganguly took over the reins of Indian cricket in turbulent times, he selected youngsters like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, among others, who all became legends of Indian cricket.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni did the same with the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/teams-do-not-want-ravindra-jadeja-to-be-playing-in-indias-t20-world-cup-side-graeme-swann/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ravindra Jadeja</a>, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. And now, when the baton has been passed to Kohli, he is following on this basic tradition of captaincy and showing faith in some of the best players of this time to achieve success.
In the following list, we take a look at five such players who Kohli have entrusted the most and who somehow owe their success to him:
<h3>1. KL Rahul</h3>
<figure id="attachment_395619" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-395619" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-395619" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-and-KL-Rahul.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli and KL Rahul" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-395619" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
KL Rahul, who scored his first international century in Kohli&#8217;s first match as captain, is one cricketer whose career graph goes in sync with Kohli&#8217;s captaincy. Rahul was left by the Royal Challengers Bangalore after 2013, but the Kohli-led side bought him back fir the 2016 edition, his second-only IPL as an international cricketer, highlighting the faith that Kohli puts on him.
Also, it was Kohli who understood the technicalities in Rahul&#8217;s style of play and asked him to open the innings in his first match as a captain where he scored the ton. However, after announcing his arrival at the international stage, Rahul somehow got lost for the maximum period of 2017 and 2018 but that did not deter Kohli from withdrawing his faith.
Kohli extended his trust on the 27-year-old cricketer and decided to hand him the much-debated No.4 batting position ahead of the ICC <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/icc-u19-world-cup-2020-day-16-round-up-statistical-highlights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Cup</a> last year. But as fate had it, Shikhar Dhawan&#8217;s untimely injury gave Rahul his favourite position back in the middle of the tournament. His scores at the top were 57, 30, 48, 0, 77, 111, and 1 and the Karnataka cricketer has not looked back.

<h3>2. Kuldeep Yadav</h3>
<figure id="attachment_382063" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-382063" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-382063" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Kuldeep-Yadav.jpg" alt="Kuldeep Yadav" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-382063" class="wp-caption-text">Kuldeep Yadav. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Kuldeep Yadav had won Virat Kohli&#8217;s confidence on his debut match itself. He picked up four wickets against a challenging Australian batting line up in the first innings where he had also become India&#8217;s first-ever chinaman spinner. His performance in the red-ball cricket did not get unnoticed and Kohli soon handed him his limited-overs debut.
Under Kohli, Kuldeep, alongside Yuzvendra Chahal, emerged as India&#8217;s premier spinners and sidelined the famed duo of <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/everyone-gives-you-an-antisocial-look-when-you-sneeze-or-cough-ravichandran-ashwin-mulls-over-the-outbreak-of-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ravichandran Ashwin</a> and Ravindra Jadeja. Such was the brilliance of Kuldeep that he finished 2017 as the fourth-highest wicket-taker for India in ODI despite making his debut in the seventh month of the year.
His best, though, came in the calendar year of 2018. The decision to put his trust on the young shoulder of the bowler from Uttar Pradesh paid hefty dividends to Kohli. With 45 ODI wickets, Kuldeep ended as the second-highest wicket-taker in the format that year. He played the least number of matches among the top five and was only three wickets shy of table-topper Rashid Khan. Kuldeep was also India&#8217;s highest T20I wicket-taker of the year with 21 scalps.

<h3>3. Yuzvendra Chahal</h3>
<figure id="attachment_368999" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-368999" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-368999" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-and-Yuzvendra-Chahal.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli and Yuzvendra Chahal" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-368999" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli and Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
The partner-in-crime of Kuldeep Yadav and the other face of &#8216;Kulcha&#8217;, Yuzvendra Chahal is another find of Virat Kohli who has won him many matches. If Kuldeep emerged as his wicket-taker, Chahal was the one who restricted the run-flow of the opponent batsmen.
Despite the sorrow fate of RCB in IPL, Chahal is among the few cricketers who have been a constant face in the team since 2014 and it should be enough to understand his position before Kohli. Also, it has not been one-way traffic as he has paid the captain back with all his might.
Under Kohli&#8217;s leadership, the 29-year-old became the first Indian bowler to take a fifer in T20I cricket when he returned with the figure of 6/25 against <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/lungi-ngidi-reveals-he-lost-4-5-kilos-due-to-immense-training-ahead-of-odi-series-against-england/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">England </a>in February 2017. Much like Kuldeep, he, too, wrecked the most in the calendar year of 2018. He was India&#8217;s second-highest wicket-taker that year in both ODI and T20I.

<h3>4. Wriddhiman Saha</h3>
<figure id="attachment_370051" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-370051" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-370051" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Wriddhiman-Saha-1.jpg" alt="Wriddhiman Saha" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-370051" class="wp-caption-text">Wriddhiman Saha. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Wriddhiman Saha has always been considered as a better wicketkeeper than Mahendra Singh Dhoni but was overshadowed by the gigantic presence of the latter. However, since the retirement of the former Indian captain, Virat Kohli did not look at any other option and made Saha the regular gloveman of the Test squad.
Saha has not disappointed his captain and has emerged as possibly the best wicketkeeper of his time. In just 37 matches he has affected 103 dismissals which include 92 catches and 11 stumpings. According to the cricket analysis website Cricviz, the Bengal cricketer has the best fielding ability among the active wicketkeepers with an ability range of +5.7.
The same website also states that the 34-year-old has the best catching ability. He collects 96.9% of the deliveries that come his way after taking the edge of a willow. Despite being dropped from the squad following a serious injury at the beginning of 2018 and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/if-you-feel-rishabh-pant-is-a-match-winner-why-dont-you-play-him-virender-sehwag-slams-indian-team-management/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rishabh Pant</a> making a successful case for the role, Kohli entrusted his old horse and like always he paid back with his dedicated performances.

<h3>5. Mohammed Shami</h3>
<figure id="attachment_381357" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-381357" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-381357" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-and-Mohammed-Shami.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-381357" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
A cricketer found by Mahendra Singh Dhoni but groomed by Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami has been a story of resurrection. He made his debut in 2013 against Pakistan but was immediately sidelined by the brilliance of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the express pace of Umesh Yadav. However, he did not shy away and kept himself in contention for a place in the playing 11.
While <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/bhuvneshwar-kumar-undergoes-sports-hernia-surgery-in-london-to-undergo-rehabilitation-at-nca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bhuvneshwar</a> was expected to lead the Indian attack in the 2015 World Cup alongside Umesh, fate had a different hero. An injury for the former saw Shami emerged as India&#8217;s best wicket-taking option. But Shami&#8217;s career was also disgraced by repetitive injuries and off-field scandals which threatened to cut short his playing days.
But a change in captaincy bought Shami back into the frame. After making a comeback into the Test squad in 2018, Shami took 47 wickets and finished the year as the second-highest Indian wicket-taker. Despite excelling in red-ball cricket, he had to wait to get back his chances in limited-overs. &#8216;
But Virat Kohli did not make him wait too long and drafted him into the Blues ahead of the World Cup last year and the 29-year-old ended 2019 as the highest international wicket-taker in ODI with 42 scalps.

Not many can handle the enormous number of responsibilities that come added with the role of the Indian skipper.

5 Players who owe their success to Virat Kohli

Not many can handle the enormous number of responsibilities that come added with the role of the Indian skipper, which Virat Kohli has fulfilled diligently