England vs India: A win in Birmingham will help Virat Kohli better Sourav Ganguly's record

Virat Kohli as Test captain has a promising record the team has won quite a few matches and series’ especially at home but his biggest test is to unfold in England starting tomorrow. The No.1 ranked Test side have five matches to improve their record in this part of the world and once again try to win a series on English soil. It all begins at Edgbaston in Birmingham and if the Indian team does start on a winning note, it will also add another feather in Kohli’s cap.

Birmingham has been one of the worst venues for the visiting team as they’ve lost five matches and just one ended in a draw out with no positive results. The conditions are different this time – there is a heat wave in England, how does the pitch look on the morning of the Test will also be an interesting factor. A lot will depend on how Virat deploys his resources and how he bats himself.

As far as the captaincy record is concerned he has 21 wins after 35 Tests and thus stands equal with Sourav Ganguly on the list of most wins by an Indian captain. A victory in the opening match of this series will not only give the Indian team a lead but also make Kohli the second most successful Indian Test captain.

Kohli’s run thus far

Team India is ranked No.1 in the longest format of the game and the Test mace has been with them for the last two years. It says a lot about their performance in this form of the game. In the long home season in 2016-17, they won 10 matches lost one and two were drawn against teams like New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia.

On their last away tour to South Africa the young team was very competitive and after two learning experiences won the last Test to conclude the series 2-1.

Kohli’s predecessor MS Dhoni is at the top of the list with 27 wins out of which 21 were at home and 6 away. The current Indian skipper has won 13 matches at home and 8 away out of the 21 while Ganguly’s team won 10 at home and 11 in the opponent’s backyard.

This is a five-match series and will give the visitors a great chance to get back even if they don’t get off to a winning start. The ambitious approach of this team has forced a lot of people to believe that they will manage to get the best results out of this tour.

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